Sweet Baby
by PiscesChikk
Summary: Takes place during Season One. This story covers Fitz and Liv's relationship while she was working at the White House, what caused her to leave and a possible encounter with Amanda Tanner. Creative Licence will definitely be taken, story will differ a bit from what happened in Season One. Hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Liv and Fitz made their way to the main room together. She had his speech in her hand going over the main talking points he was going to speak on. They were walking at a rapid pace and Olivia was reminding Fitz about the crowd he was addressing in the next few minutes. Her gaze continually shifted from Fitz to the papers in her hand and a tendril of hair came loose from Olivia's ponytail brushing against her face. The touch of her hair against the delicate cheekbones was enough to cause Fitz to stir inside his pants. He fought against the urge to touch her.

"Mr. President I've moved foreign policy ahead of homeland security so don't forget to…."

"Did I tell you that you look beautiful today?" asked Fitz completely fixated on that single lock of hair.

Olivia flushed, feeling more than a little embarrassed at how easily he was able to make her blush. The relationship they'd started began during his campaign and continued even after he'd been president for the past five months. Rather than return to her job she accepted Fitz's offer to come work for him at the White House. Instead of being his campaign fixer, she was now his Communications Director in charge of media relations and promoting his overall agenda.

She absolutely loved her job. But even more than that she was in love with Fitz. She loved being able to see him every day, spend time with him, talk political strategy and she loved the chance to change the country along with him.

"Don't." Warned Olivia seeing Fitz raise his hand knowing all too well he was about to touch her. She looked around hastily and pushed the papers in his direction. "You have a speech to give Mr. President."

"I miss you." He said totally ignoring the fact that they were introducing him at this very moment.

Liv felt her body responding simply to the nearness of him just then, she had goose bumps. She missed him too. They hadn't been together for a while, a month in fact, not that she was counting. This conference they were at was being held over three days. She and Fitz had travelled along with a few other aides, but Mellie and Cyrus were still in Washington. She smiled knowing she could finally be alone with him.

"…..the President of the United States." There was applause from the crowd.

"Go on, you're up." She said motioning him forward.

"I'll deal with you later." He said.

"_Promise_?" She asked playfully and followed a few steps behind him and stood over to the side as he began.

0o0o0o

"Billy…." Amanda panted, collapsing against his chest. She lightly kissed his neck and he rolled over putting himself on top of her. His hair was disheveled and she thought he looked incredibly sexy just like this. She was glad they were finally able to find some alone time. He was such a workaholic. It took a lot of cajoling on her part to get him to go home early for once.

"You know what I love about you?"

"Do tell, sir." She wrapped her arms around his neck grinning up at him.

"Your determination. You just never give up."

She laughed. "You mean how you were hell bent on spending another late night at work and I persuaded you to come over to my place?"

"Precisely. And I have a lot of work to do. Sally has a lot of work cut out for her tomorrow. We're preparing for her trip to Detroit later this week. She's meeting with the heads of a few auto industries."

"I know, I know, but you've been going at a breakneck pace the last couple of months. I didn't think just _one day_ would kill you.

"That's easy for you to say Ms. Tanner. Since the election the pressure's on more than ever to serve the country as best as we can. We have a lot to do over the next four years."

I'm glad to still be able to work for her since the election. Still a bit disappointed though she didn't get the nomination for President."

"She would have been the finest President this country's ever had. Unlike that philanderer the country stupidly elected."

"You still don't like President Grant?" She started rubbing her arms across his bare back, then lightly played in his hair. He glared at her question. "It's not like we can just switch one out for the other Billy. We have to get used to it."

" It just kills me that we have to push his agenda and…"

Billy stopped mid sentence gazing down at the girl underneath him. She was totally infatuated with him, she even thought she was in love with him. Since joining the campaign she had literally followed him around like a puppy, eager to do his bidding. Whatever the campaign needed if it was in her power she'd been happy to oblige him.

He still had the recording of Fitzgerald Grant in bed with some woman. He still didn't know who it was. The both of them had conveniently not spoken, audibly at least, for the entire duration of the time they were together so he'd never been able to discover the woman's identity. But maybe he didn't have to. Maybe that woman could be whoever he wanted it to be, whoever he told her to be. Maybe, just maybe, there was some use for Amanda after all.

"Billy?"

He smiled down at Amanda then.

"Remember how I said I loved your determination?"

"Yeah….." replied Amanda wondering what he was thinking about though she was a bit distracted as she felt him getting hard again and he started kissing her neck.

_I am so brilliant_, he thought.

0o0o0oo

Olivia was nestled in Fitz's arms and the two of them lay snuggled under the covers. One of his hands was playing in her hair, while the other was trailing circles over her bare bottom. As promised he had _dealt_ with her. He took his time and lingered as much as was humanly possible enjoying touching every inch of her body. Hours later they were both exhausted. But she felt incredibly content and at peace. She wished they didn't have to sneak around like this.

"I missed you." Fitz said softly.

Liv smiled next to his chest and stretched her arm around his waist pulling herself closer to him. She planted a soft kiss against his torso.

"I missed you too Mr. President."

"No, no, no, no, no. In here I'm not the President. I'm just Fitz. And you are just my Livi."

"Hmmm…..I love being your Livi. And I love you."

"Why do you have to leave tomorrow morning. Why can't you stay till the weekend and leave when I do, hmm"

"You know why I can't stay, I have that meeting with the Press Secretary in the afternoon. We have to talk about how we want to use different media sites to make you more visual to the public and your supporters. We're going to launch your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

"Come on, Liv. I'm leaving on Tuesday for London and I'll be gone for a week."

"No you won't miss me. Cyrus is coming in tomorrow afternoon. You won't get the chance to miss me." She said laughing. He loved the sound of her laughing. She was so serious all the time around the White House.

"Don't joke around about Cyrus, sometimes I think he enjoys being 'the power behind the throne' a little too much. And I always miss you. I won't be able to see you till the weekend.. "

"However will I manage until you get back?" She said with mock sarcasm.

"Such a smart ass. You better watch it Ms. Pope or I'm going to have to deal with you again." He warned.

"I don't know Mr. President. You're not really a young man anymore. Heaven forbid you over exert yourself."

"Ok that's it. I've had enough."

"Oh no you haven't." Teased Liv moving swiftly out of the bed.

Fitz got up and went after her. Pretty soon they were running around the room till Fitz grabbed her and jumped back into bed with her still in his arms.

They both dissolved into laughter.

"Now I'm about to show you just what this old man can do." He said lowering his lips to hers.

0o0o0o0o

Surprisingly enough the rest of the week went by quicker than Fitz expected and he was back in D.C. by Saturday evening. He went to look over some paperwork in his office but he didn't intend to stay there for more than an hour.

Just as he settled into some documents there was a knock on the door and Mrs. Hanley walked in with another young lady in tow.

"Mrs. Hanley." Fitz said getting up from behind his desk and smiling at his secretary.

"Thank you, Mr. President, it's good to have you back. I wanted to introduce you to the newest aide assigned to your office. Her name's Amanda Tanner. She starts on Monday."

Fitz looked at the girl being introduced. She couldn't be any more than 25 years old. She seemed somewhat shy, but he could've sworn she was giving him an almost playful smile. He decided to ignore that and simply extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Tanner. Welcome aboard."


	2. The West Wing

MONDAY MORNING 8:20am

"Curiosity."

"Mr. President?"

"There's an old wives' tale Cyrus about curiosity killing the cat."

"That's right sir."

"You'd think NASA could come up with a different name than 'Curiosity' for their rover, Cy."

"There's a bunch of intellectuals over there sir, we can't expect them to be creative as well."

"What time are they coming over?" Asked Fitz as he and Cyrus walked the halls of the West Wing, heading to Fitz's office. A small group of middle schoolers were coming to the White House today for a brief discussion and question and answer session about the recent NASA rover sent to the planet Mars.

"It'll all start about 11:00am sir." Cyrus handed him a booklet detailing the information to be discussed and sample questions from some of the students. Fitz gave it the once over.

They passed Olivia's office and Fitz poked his head inside. Liv was as her desk talking with Jeffrey Stevens, the White House Press Secretary.

"Good morning."

"Good morning Mr. President." Said Liv looking up as he walked inside.

"Good morning Mr. President." Said Jeff.

"Cyrus, hello."

"Hello Olivia, Jeff. You two going over the site launch? Twitter account?"

"Yes we are, we have a team that's started work already. We should be live by the end of the week."

"Good, good."

"Mr. President we're going to have a photographer follow you around for a bit when you get back from London, just so we can get some candids of you, doing day to day things, working, etc."

"Sounds interesting. Find me today sometime to catch me up?"

"Will do sir. Do you have your opening remarks for the NASA event?"

He shuffled through the folder Cyrus gave him. "They should be in here somewhere right?"

"Sir I want to go over the set up in the room before we start." Said Cyrus walking out.

"I'll make sure you have them sir." Liv promised.

"Thank you, Ms. Pope."

Liv couldn't help but noticed he looked particularly handsome today wearing a dark pinstriped suit, blue shirt and matching tie. He was leaving tomorrow evening to go to London for a week. She was really going to miss him.

She forced herself to focus on Jeff and the new project they had undertaken.

''….right. That's exactly what we want Jeff. And I want that part of it finished today. Okay let everybody know. I want an update by noon."

"Fine." Said Jeff and left. Liv searched her computer for a copy of Fitz's remarks, printed them out then headed to his office.

12:45pm

Her meeting with Jeff was now over and Liv sat in her office. She was feeling a little hungry and picked at a jar of almonds on her desk.

"Please tell me that's not lunch."

She looked up to see Billy Chambers walking into her office. She offered him a smile.

"Sounds like somebody wants to treat me to lunch. Is that an offer?"

He looked at his watch.

"Actually I was planning on heading out in a few, you want to join me?"

"Let's see if Cyrus wants to tag along."

"Great then he can pay for everyone's lunch."

They both walked around to the corridor and came in on the tail end of the NASA event. Cyrus spotted them as they came in and Billy motioned for him to come over. Liv stood with her hands crossed and eyes focused on Fitz. Instead of leaving all the questions to the NASA administrator he was joining in on the discussion himself and was inciting a lot of laughter from the kids. A thought came to her.

She quickly left the room and came back five minutes later with the photographer they just hired.

"Make sure you get some good shots please." She instructed him. There was no way she'd let an opportunity for a good photo op slide.

Cyrus smile walking over to her, pleased at her forward thinking.

"Lunch is on you today, Cy" she looped her arms through his.

"Really? How'd that happen?"

"Since I paid last time."

"But Billy's never paid."

"Yes I have, I paid the time before Liv did. When you ordered the lobster."

"You should have paid. You picked that restaurant and the service was horrible."

"Well this time you pick and this time, you're paying."

"Let's go guys, I'm starving." Said Liv pulling both men out the door.

5:45pm

"Hey Liv!"

Olivia looked away from her screen when Gerry bounded into her office and sat in the chair in front f her desk.

"Gerry, how are you?"

"Doing better now that you're back. I missed you while you were gone."

"Gerry…." Olivia playfully warned. Since the campaign trail she realized Gerry harbored a fierce crush on her. Months later and the puppy love was stronger than ever. She decided that it was harmless. Once he became interested in girls at his school she was sure he'd quickly forget about her.

"Its movie night on Friday. Karen and I are having a private screening of 'The Avengers'. You want to stay behind and see it with me?"

"Ooh the Avengers. You know I wanted to see that. But I'm gonna have to take a pass Gerry. Wouldn't you want someone your own age to watch it with? Aren't there any interesting girls at school?"

Gerry sighed.

"That's the problem Olivia. They're just young, silly girls. I prefer someone more mature with a brain in their head. Someone like you."

"Gerry, I'm flattered. Seems like your intentions are nothing but pure, but you know your father, not to mention your mother would both kill me."

"It can be just between you and me. No one has to know."

Liv could only smile and shake her head. Like father like son, she thought.

"So you want me to be your dirty little secret then?" She teased.

"There's nothing dirty about you, Liv." He said sitting back in the chair, giving her an intense gaze. She fought hard not to smile but couldn't help it.

"Tell you what, why don't you ask me again when you're just a little bit older and we'll see what happens. Hmm?"

7:45pm

Liv glanced at her watch. It was almost 8pm and she was just about finished revising Fitz's speeches for the two events in London for which he'd be required to speak when her door opened briefly after someone knocked.

It was Fitz. He no longer had on his jacket or tie and his shirt was rolled up to his forearms. He closed the door behind him and sat in front of her just as Gerry did just a few short hours earlier. She couldn't help but smile at the comparison between the two.

"What are you working on?"

"Your speeches. I'm done actually."

"Long day."

"It was a bit, yeah. You ready for tomorrow."

He nodded taking her jar of almonds and helping himself to some.

"Looking forward to a long flight and an even longer week."

"It won't be so bad. Say hello to the Queen for me."

He laughed.

"How was NASA?"

"It was good. The kids were impressed. I was impressed with them. They were a good group. Oh to be young and innocent like that again."

"Speaking of young and innocent, Gerry came to see me this evening."

Fitz rolled his eyes. He knew of Gerry's crush on Liv. He couldn't for the life of him understand why she entertained him.

"He was very sweet. He asked me out to a movie by the way."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I kid you not." She said laughing. He seems to prefer me, instead of…how did he put it? Young, silly girls?" Fitz smiled and got up, walking round the other side of her desk to stand in front of her.

"Well at least we have something in common." He remembered then that the door wasn't locked. He locked it and walked back over turning her chair to face him. He knelt before her sliding his hands around her waist and nestling his head against her. Liv reached around his shoulders to run her fingers through his hair.

Fitz closed his eyes and sighed relaxing against her.

They stayed like that for a briefly then he moved his hands down her waist and over her lap. His hands went under her skirt stroking her thighs gently.

"Fitz." Liv murmured then held his face in her hands. He looked up at her, desire beginning to darken his eyes and she bent to kiss him.

He pushed her skirt up so his hands were free to touch her bottom. It wasn't enough. He pulled her panties down and slid her closer to him. He tugged at her coat for a bit then looked at her.

"Take this off." He whispered.

He put one hand behind her neck drawing her face closer to his, plunging his tongue into her mouth. Liv gasped because his other hand was now further between her thighs and he was fingering her. Lightly stroking as she grew wet under his touch.

She moaned a little.

'Shhhhhh…" said Fitz. "Shhhh, my sweet baby." He murmured into her mouth.

He got up off his knees, quickly undoing his belt and pulling his pants down. He lifted her off the chair and put her on the desk. Getting between her legs, Fitz freed her breasts from her bra and bent to lick her nipples. Liv bucked underneath him and Fitz put his index finger in her mouth to suck.

Liv bit down when he entered her and wrapped her legs around him tight.

"Fuck." Fitz swore and plunged deep into her over and over. Liv grabbed at his hair and pulled him down to kiss him hard. She moaned into his mouth.

"Shhh…" Fitz said again, but Liv couldn't help it. She grabbed his butt pushing back up to meet his thrusts and Fitz buried his face in her neck biting her. He was close to coming.

"I want you to come." He said.

"I'm close…I'm close…I" her sentence broke off and a brief moment later her tightness took him over the edge.

It was an hour later when he finally made it back to the residence. The kids were in bed already and Mellie was up watching television.

He greeted her once he got inside.

"Where were you? I was looking for you downstairs and couldn't find you."

He paused on his way to the bedroom.

"I was in my office working on some last minute items for my trip."

"No you weren't. I went to your office and you weren't there."

He paused once more.

"Must have stepped out when you came by. What was it you wanted?"

"Doesn't matter. I got it sorted out."

"Fine." He said and walked into the bedroom and started to undress. He would miss Liv terribly while he was gone. He would just have to make do with the memory of their lovemaking just moments before. He hated having to let her go after they were together. The last thing he wanted was to have her feeling cheap and used.

0o0o0o0o

Mel got up and stared at her husband's retreating back as he walked towards their bedroom. She wasn't as oblivious as he thought she was. He wasn't in his office tonight, whatever he was _working_ on; it had nothing to do with his London trip. She decided she'd watch him once he got back.

TUESDAY 1:45pm

"Mr. President, wait."

Fitz turned around to see Amanda Tanner hurrying towards him. He was just about to head out to board Air Force One.

"You forgot these." She said handing him two large vanilla envelopes with a smile on her face.

"Thank you Amanda." He said and continued to walk away.

"Whatever you need Mr. President, don't hesitate to ask."

_**A/N Ok so for the opening scene i slightly borrowed a few things i saw on a west wing episode (maybe a small comment or two) and i used the recent launch of the rover on the planet MARS.**_

_**We had to get some fitz and livi time in before he went off to London and now we see that Mellie is starting to get suspicious of Fitz and has decided to watch him. watch out for Mellie as the story progresses.**_

_**And also Amanda Tanner is trying her best to get Fitz to notice her. so far he isn't even slightly interested. but who knows what'll happen. **_

_**let me know what you think. thanks for the great reviews so far.**_


	3. Behind Closed Doors

Billy stared at Amanda as she sat opposite him in his office. He was becoming annoyed that so far President Grant had all but ignored her existence since she was assigned to him. He didn't think she was taking this seriously enough.

"Just what are you doing wrong?" He massaged a knot in the back of his neck.

"I don't know what you expect me to do short of literally throwing myself at him. He barely looks at me whenever I'm in a room with him. Maybe I'm not his type."

"Eye contact. Men love lingering eye contact."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "How about that? How's that for dramatic eye contact? I can't believe you're even making me do this. I thought you cared about me, I feel almost like some prostitute you're pimping out to a John." She stared at her hands in her lap.

"Come on you know it's not like that. You know how much I love you." He put emphasis on the word love to reassure her and himself for that matter though his feelings for her were not that deep. She seemed to brighten up at his admission.

"Maybe he's in love with his wife. Maybe he's not the type of guy who sleeps around."

Billy scoffed.

"Give me a break okay. We just have to work harder, not just for this country, but for Sally too. Didn't you say you were proud to work for her? This is your chance to prove it."

* * *

"When's dad coming back?" Gerry asked between mouthfuls of eggs and bacon." His question was directed to Mellie as he and Karen sat at breakfast.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to chew with your mouth full Gerry?"

"You still haven't answered the question." He replied.

"Don't you listen to anything? Dad said he'd be leaving 2pm their time. The flight is about 7 hours and 30 minutes. He should be in DC around 9:30 and at home by round 10ish I guess." She bit into her toast shaking her head. "Oh mom, I need you to sign my permission slip for the field trip I was telling you about."

"I thought I already did, Karen."

"No that was for another event."

Mellie pushed her chair out and got up from the table. "I just can't keep up with you. "

She went to the bedroom to get her purse and walked towards the front door.

"What about my permission slip?!"

"Do you need it for today?"

"No."

"Then I'll sign it when I get back. Or your father will."

"Where are you going anyway?"

"I have a literacy event to attend."

With that she left.

_I bet you do_, thought Karen. She always came back from one of those so called _'literacy events'_ looking rather invigorated. No one could be_ that_ excited about teaching kids to read.

* * *

Fitz saluted his Marine guard outside Marine One as he descended the stairs. He was finally home and Cyrus was headed towards him.

"Cyrus."

"Mr. President."

"Good to be back Cyrus."

"Good to have you back, Sir."

"Catch me up." He said and as they walked together into the West Wing and to his office, Cyrus spent the next fifteen minutes doing just that. Fitz was a little tired though and wanted to rest a bit. But he wondered if Liv was still around. He looked at his watch.

"Can we do this tomorrow Cy? I need to get out of these clothes and get into bed." He stood up and headed for the door. Cyrus was still on his heels.

"There is the matter of the 'turkey pardon' day after tomorrow sir."

He turned round to look at Cy in bewilderment. "The what?"

"The turkey pardon. For thanksgiving. One lucky bird gets to keep his life and die of old age. We do it every year remember?"

"Its that time of year already?"

"Yes sir."

"Let's talk about that in the morning, Cy. Please. Good night."

Cyrus smiled and nodded. "Good night, Sir."

Fitz walked through the corridor and past Olivia's office. He noticed the light was still on. He smiled and knocked on the door.

"Come." He heard her say and pushed the door open. She was still at her desk looking at monitor and didn't bother to turn her head to see who it was. Her jacket was off and he took in the sight of the smooth skin of her bare arms. He came inside, closing the door behind him.

"Liv." At the sound of his voice she looked up.

"Fitz." She smiled and got up to hug him.

"Now that's a proper greeting. Much better than Cyrus coming to meet me outside." He cupped the back of her head and squeezed her tight.

"I missed you." She said quietly and nestled in closer, not wanting him to let her go just yet. She inhaled his smell breathing deeply.

"I missed you too. Why are you still here so late, hmm?"

"Just going over the Facebook page, checking it out before the launch tomorrow. Do you want to glance at it?"

"Tomorrow."

"Okay."

"I have something for you." He fished a tiny black box out of his pocket with the Harrods' emblem on it. He slowly opened the box and revealed a Diane Kordas flower ring with a slim gold band. The flower was accented with tiny diamonds all across it. Liv was stunned, she hadn't expected it.

"Fitz. You shouldn't have." She said.

"Don't be silly." He took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her index finger. "I wish this could be the type ….to put on your ring finger."

He held her hand up to his lips and kissed it looking into her eyes meaningfully.

"I love you." She said and kissed him.

* * *

"I love you."

Mellie adjusted her bra strap and slipped back into her dress. She shook her head but kept her back turned to him. She forced a smile on her face.

"Paul don't be ridiculous."

"I mean it."

She cocked her head to the side and put a hand on his face. "Paul. You know I'm married, to the President no less. You know what this is. Let's not further complicate this okay?"

"I know what it started out as."

"And that's what it still is."

"I don't believe you don't care about me at all."

"Of course I care about you Paul. But I'm not leaving my husband or my family. Why would you want me to? Why do you want to ruin what we have?" Mellie wrapped her arms around his neck completely ignoring the hurt look on his face and kissed him. She lowered her arms then, holding him about his waist and pressing her breasts into him. She felt him harden again and knew she'd successfully dismissed all those foolish thoughts about love from his head.

"I have to go." She said and hurried outside to get into her car. She looked at her watch and realized that Fitz was probably home now. If she knew him, he'd probably be in his office talking with Cyrus about his trip and his itinerary for tomorrow.

She settled into the back seat. Paul Mosley. For a man who was so delicious in the sack he didn't seem to have much upstairs in the brain. What would possess him to think that his sweet declarations of love would ever make her even consider leaving Fitz? Or the White House for that matter to go live some ordinary life with him? S he scoffed at that. That was absolutely positively out of the question.

She scoffed at that. She'd fought too hard to get where she was, had given up too much. Now she was exactly where she wanted to be and finally had the real influence and power she'd dreamed of.

As she walked into the White House she thought of Fitz. True they'd never been head over heels for each other, but she had honestly loved him when they first got married even if they didn't share the same ideals. That didn't matter to Mellie; she just knew they shared the same ambitions. They both knew how far they wanted to go and she was willing to marry him because she knew he would eventually get there.

She made her way through the corridors intending to see if Fitz was still in his office and glimpsed him slipping out of Liv's office instead. And though it was brief, she saw him loose his fingers from what looked like a very intimate grip. A crooked smile crossed her face and she shook her head.

Fitz was so caught up in his affair with Liv that he was sloppy. If she could just walk up on them and see them that easily it was only a matter of time before someone else would. She rolled her eyes and turned in another direction to go up to the residence.

* * *

Once again Mellie was on the couch watching television when Fitz got home.

"Hello Mel."

"How was London? I saw your speech on Thursday. I thought you did very well."

"Thanks. How are the kids?"

"Karen needs you to sign a permission slip for her."

"That shouldn't be a problem."

"I'm thinking of offering a scholarship on behalf of the D.C. Literary Foundation. I'll probably co-found it with Paul Mosley."

Fitz listened while she pitched her idea to him. It sounded like a solid plan.

"Why don't you ask Liv how she can get some donations for you using the media initiatives she just started with Jeffrey. I'm sure she'd be glad to help you out."

Mellie thought that statement was rather ironic, but she smiled at his words. "I'm sure she would, Fitz."

* * *

_**A/N So in this chapter we learned that Mellie has some secrets of her own. We also learned that though Karen is just a teenager, she's not naive in any way. She's pretty observant about her mother's work with Literacy.**_

_**We also see that Fitz is a little sloppy when it comes to Olivia. Is that gonna come back and bite him in the ass? we shall see. **_


	4. Turning Tables

_**Get ready for a bumpy ride follks. Its about to get interesting. Hopefully you guys don't stone me afterwards. Enjoy! **_

"This is highly undignified Mr. President." Protested Liv rather weakly.

Fitz literally had her backed into a corner of the Oval Office away from the view of the cameras, all because he just had to have a kiss from her this very instant. The nearness of him alone was intoxicating, but this was a horrible idea and very risky for them to be in such a compromising position when Cyrus or any other staff member for that matter could walk in at any time. Since he'd gotten back from London two weeks prior they hadn't had any alone time together. There was just too much work to be done. She knew Fitz wanted to be near her but he was becoming very reckless in his pursuits.

"Just kiss me." He said, putting his hand around her waist and pulling her closer even though she was trying to push him away.

"Fitz this is crazy. Any minute someone could come in."

"Then kiss me and we can go back to work." His head was bent towards her. Try as she might she couldn't deny him. She stopped pushing against his chest and slid her arms around his neck. She lifted her lips towards his and surrendered to his kiss. It was sweet and intoxicating and she knew it was a mistake, because she wanted more of him. This kiss wouldn't be enough. She ran her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck and sunk closer to his chest. His hands moved from her waist and rested on her butt.

Fitz's kiss became more insistent and Liv felt herself tingle all over. It wasn't until she could feel him getting aroused that she pushed him away coming to her senses before something happened that neither of them could stop.

They were both breathless and Liv sidestepped away from him trying to regain her composure. She slowly walked away from the window straightening her jacket and making sure her hair was still in place. She sat down on one of the couches opposite his desk and lightly touched her lips still feeling the imprint of his mouth on hers.

He walked over to his desk and sat perched on top of the edge.

"I want you."

Liv took a deep breath and looked at him. There was an intense longing on his face, his expression mirrored what she felt, but it wasn't the right time or place.

"We have to get back to work Mr. President." She said shaking her head.

"Fine. Then meet me in our spot later?"

"Fitz….."

"Livi…Meet me in our spot…after work. Later this evening."

His eyes bore into hers,pleading but just then Mellie burst into the office.

"Oh I'm sorry, was I interrupting anything?" mellie asked cooly, walking over to Fitz.

"Liv how are you this afternoon?"

Liv felt incredibly awkward given the compromising position she and Fitz were in just moments ago.

"I'm great Mellie and and no I was just about to leave." She got up from the couch picking up her files off the coffee table. "Mr. President."

"Liv."

"Honey we have that parent/teacher conference at Gerry's school today. It's in a half hour so we have to get going."

"Of course, I'd almost forgotten about that."

Mellie helped him into his coat, then gave him the once over. She saw the hint of pink lipstick on his mouth.

"Hmph. You got a little something right there Fitz. " She motioned to his top lip then turned around to head out the door. "Let's go."

* * *

It was shortly after 8pm when Liv met Fitz in 'their spot', which was truly just a secluded portion of the White House Rose Garden. It wasn't terribly private since It was outside, but it allowed them to meet discreetly without being seen or interrupted.

It was dark outside and the only lights were the tiny ones that dotted the walkways every six feet and the stars and moon above. Fitz had brought a small blanket for them to sit on and motioned for her to join him on the ground.

She settled beside him and he put an arm around her waist and she rested her head on his shoulder.

Times like this were bittersweet for Fitz. Liv would be by his side and for a brief moment he could pretend that nothing and no one else mattered besides the two of them. He could pretend that there was no Mellie and he wasn't the President and she was his forever.

"Whats on your mind?"

"You."

"Liar."

"I missed you today."

"How is that possible when we were in meetings for half of it?" She looked up at him.

"Work doesn't count. And I had to share you with the Press Secretary and your work husband, Cyrus. Who I happen to think you pay more attention to than me."

"Well he _is_ my work husband what can I say? I have to make sure he's happy."

"Well your work husband has gone for the day. So where does that leave me huh?"

"Are you lacking attention?" she teased and moved to straddle him, throwing her legs over him.

"Among other things." He began to nuzzle her neck.

"Fitz…."

"Yes, baby?"

"What are you doing?" She didn't really need to ask as he started to lift up her dress and slide his hands underneath.

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"We can't."

"Why not?" He said right before covering her mouth with his own and laying backwards onto the soft blanket. Whatever protests she might have had disappeared as a soft tremor of pleasure passed over her and she let him have his way with her on the grass.

* * *

Mellie sat up in bed that night looking down at Fitz as he slept soundly, no doubt because he had been with Olivia some time during the evening. She sighed. She didn't know exactly when the relationship had started actually. Since the campaign trail she knew her husband was attracted to Liv and was incredibly taken by her. Mellie couldn't blame him. She was young, beautiful and extremely intelligent. She represented all the idealism that Fitz himself held. She could also tell that Liv was attracted to Fitz but unlike her husband, she was better at hiding her feelings.

Mellie knew that in order to get elected, Fitz needed Olivia to run his campaign, so she overlooked whatever attraction she knew they had for each other. Now it seemed that things went deeper than the two of them having sex. It seemed that they were actually in love.

When she walked in on them in the Oval Office this morning the emotions between the two of them almost hit her in the face it was so palpable. It had turned into something so much more than just sex. How could he be so stupid to fall in love with her?

She had continued her own affair with Paul Mosley after they had gotten to the White House but she wasn't about to fall in love with him.

She lay back down and pulled the covers over her head. Love was an emotion she couldn't afford for Fitz to feel right now for someone else. If he felt strongly enough, he might ruin what they'd worked so hard to achieve and she wasn't about to let that happen.

* * *

Liv sat at her desk the next morning sipping her tea and looking over the President's Facebook page. Their 'likes' had grown considerably over the last few weeks and most of the messages posted seemed to be positive ones.

She thought about the G8 Summit that was about to start in the New Year….wow, she realized that Christmas was just around the corner. She'd finally get some time off and be able to relax. She would probably end up going back to Brooklyn to spend it with her parents and her sister. She hadn't seen them in months and she missed them. She frowned a bit thinking that she'd never be albe to spend a holiday like that with Fitz, curled up next to him on the couch. Opening presents, decorating the Christmas tree….

"That's an absolutely beautiful ring, Olivia." Liv's head snapped up at Mellie's voice and she realized she had been idly touching the ring Fitz gave her.

"Thank you."

"I wanted to have a word with you if you're not too busy."

"Of course not come in." she motioned for Mel to sit. "What can I do for you?"

"You know I never said thank you for working on the campaign, getting Fitz elected. It really meant a lot to us, everything you've done."

"Please, Mel, it's not necessary."

"No, without you, I strongly believe we wouldn't be here today. I meant if it was left up to the men, Cyrus and Fitz….who knows what would have happened right?"

Liv laughed.

"No I think us women tend to handle things better. There are so many things they get involved in that they shouldn't you know. Little situations get out of hand just because of poor judgement and simply bad decision making."

Liv was beginning to wonder just where this conversation was going.

"I'm just going to come out and say it."

"Say what?"

"I know you're having an affair with my husband."

Liv was stunned. Not just that Mellie knew, but she said it so matter of factly, almost as if she didn't' care. She didn't even look angry, she looked more annoyed than anything.

"Mellie…." Liv's heart was pumping hard in her chest but she remained calm under Mel's scrutiny.

"Don't bother denying it. You never thought I was a fool before so don't start now."

Silence hung in the air for a moment and a myriad of emotions began to run through Olivia.

"I let it go on this long because before the campaign, our marriage, I mean lets face it…our marriage had been…dead for a while. I realized he needed something. At first I thought it was the Presidency, progression in his political career. But after you came along I realized you were just what he needed. You were just the fun distraction he needed. But you weren't some average girl he could have a fling with and then discard afterwards. No you had just as much to lose if not more than him if your affair became public. I figured if he slept with you, he'd get whatever it was that was bothering him out of his system and he could focus on doing what he does best."

"Mellie…"

"Don't fool yourself and think that this is more than just some torrid affair Olivia." She interrupted sharply. "Fitz knows what's important; and that's this country, his family and his career. Do You think he'd coerce you into having sex in illicit places if he really cared about you or respected you? "

Each biting word made Liv just want to sink into the floor.

"You're nothing but a secret. That's all the relationship ever will be. Something he's not afraid to use and play with when he has to, but never something he'd admit to or acknowledge in public. And don't get any ideas that he'll leave his family for you."

Mellie looked at her in scorn but Liv sensed that she wasn't finished.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to end it." Mel responded simply. "And I want you to leave."

"Leave?"

"Yes. How can I trust that you'll stay away from my husband when you're working in such close proximity to him every day? The best thing for everyone would be for you to resign, preferably by Christmas. That way we can all start the new year fresh."

Mellie got up from the chair and headed to the door.

"We don't need to get the men involved in this Olivia do we? I mean like I said before us _girls_ know how to handle things of this nature much better, right?"

She softly closed the door behind her leaving Olivia with the worse sense of dread she'd felt in years.


	5. The First Cut

Liv sat at her desk moments after Mellie had gone and one thing was absolutely clear to her; her life as she knew it, was over.

A thousand memories flashed through her mind. The first time she met Fitz and him wanting Cyrus to fire her. Working on his campaign, falling in love with him. The first time they'd been together and their declarations of love for each other. All happy memories, all times she held precious and dear.

She felt the power of those memories begin to suffocate her recalling the words Mel spoke with the sole purpose of turning them into something meaningless and sordid. She understood Mel's motives behind coming at her the way she did. She used those same methods herself when she had to. She knew Mel could be calculating; after all she faked a whole miscarriage during Fitz's Presidential campaign. But she didn't know that she could be that cold.

How long had she known? And what kind of woman knows about her husband's extramarital affair and is still able to smile in his mistress' face every day pretending like it didn't matter?

Mel succeeded in making her feel like a cliché.

A joke.

She felt like she was nothing to Fitz, like she was being used. She knew in essence she was his mistress, but Fitz had never treated her as such. True, all of their encounters had been secret, but they were more than illicit trysts that meant nothing to him.

_Weren't they?_

She put a hand on her chest, taking a deep breath.

How would she tell Fitz that she was leaving? The thought of breaking his heart almost shattered her own.

There was a quick knock on the door and then it opened.

Cyrus poked his head in.

"Liv. We have an emergency meeting in the Oval. Starts in five minutes, let's go."

She stared at him, still in a daze.

"What's the matter?"

"Cyrus….."

"You okay?" It took her a while to answer but she finally responded.

"Yes. Yes I am. Let's go."

0o0o0o

Liv followed Cyrus to Fitz's office where several of his advisors, the Press Secretary and Fitz were already gathered.

All the pilots of two major airlines in Chicago were threatening to strike by the end of the day. Fitz was planning to leave this afternoon to see if he could form a mediation board to avoid it. A strike so near Christmas would be nothing short of a disaster.

Liv sighed inwardly knowing that he was leaving. She was definitely not ready to face him yet especially not knowing what she was going to do.

"….and we're going to need a statement for the press. Liv?"

She barely heard her name. It didn't go unnoticed by Fitz.

"Yes. I can handle that, Mr. President."

"Well that's all for now people. Thank you."

Everyone got up, and Liv tried to quickly leave the office.

"Olivia, I need a moment please."

She slowly turned around, trying to keep her emotions hidden.

"Mr. President?"

"What's the matter?" he asked once the office door was closed.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you Livi. I can tell something's wrong. What is it?" He stared into her eyes waiting for her to answer, knowing that something was going on. When she didn't respond he walked closer to her. He wanted to pull her close but they were standing directly under the cameras.

Liv broke their gaze and forced a smile.

"Really Mr. President, I'm fine. And I need to get started on your remarks about the strike."

She walked away quickly.

"Liv..."

"I should be done in a half hour."

Liv literally felt like she ran back to her office.

0o0o0

Thirty minutes later as promised the statement was ready, but instead of delivering it to Fitz; she passed it over to Cyrus.

"Cy, I have something I have to take care of, I have to leave."

"Okay. Will you be back later?"

She shook her head. "No. I'll see you tomorrow."

0o0o0o

The sky was overcast and Liv sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The whole area was littered with tourists. She was surrounded by a sea of people but she felt totally alone.

"Liv."

She turned her head at the sound of a familiar voice. It was her friend Stephen walking towards her. She smiled as she got up and gave him a hug.

"It's so good to see you." He said.

They both settled back onto the steps and Liv put a hand on his arm.

"It's good to see you. How've you been?" He'd recently left Florida where he'd gone for treatment after he suffered a nervous breakdown. He had come back to D.C. and was just taking things easy for the last few months. Liv always checked up on him from time to time. But this was the first time she had been able to see him for a few weeks.

"Oh you know taking it one day at a time. And I met someone. Her name's Georgia. She's a school teacher."

"A school teacher? Well that's a first. Would I like her?"

"Ah I think you would approve of this one. I think she's what you would call 'normal'."

"And what do we always say about normal?"

"Normal is good." They both said in unison.

"What are you doing out of the White House this time of day?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm going to resign."

The words seemed so final once she said them. She forced a smile on her face, while Stephen looked totally in shock. He knew how much she loved her job.

"Are you crazy? No one leaves a job at the White House; everyone's trying to get a job there. You must have a pretty good reason."

"I do. I've helped President Grant set up his kingdom. I think it's time I start my own. And I want you there beside me."

"Liv…I don't know."

"Stephen you can do this. "

He looked into her eyes and smiled still not feeling as confident as she did.

"What happened to those children was not your fault. It was a horrible situation, but it doesn't rest on you, Stephen. If you feel that you have to redeem yourself in some way, this is your chance. We can do some real good together. And I'll take care of you. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do. You know that."

"Then say yes. You need to do this."

"So what's it all about?"

"Crisis Management."

0o0o0o

Liv spent the better part of the afternoon with Stephen discussing her plans to enter the world of Crisis Management. After a while he seemed more open to it and accepted her offer to work together.

It was shortly after 5pm when she got home and sat in front of the TV. The news was on and they were showing a clip of Fitz heading onto Marine One and waving to the press. He was on his way to Chicago.

Suddenly everything she was holding in since her meeting with Mel that morning hit her all at once. One tear fell down her cheek, and then another, and soon she was crying and couldn't stop.

She loved Fitz, so much. She never wanted to be away from him, but she knew now that she had to leave.

0o0o0o

Liv walked into Cyrus' office the next morning and handed him an envelope.

"What's this?" He said opening it up and reading the letter.

"It's my resignation." He looked up at her sharply.

"You're leaving? By the end of the year? What's this about Olivia?"

"Well Cyrus, I did what you asked. I worked on the President's campaign. We got him elected and now my work here is done. I've been mulling this over for a while and I think it's finally time for me to move on."

He stared at her in disbelief.

"Move on to what? Do you have a job offer somewhere else? I don't think working for a law firm would be more enticing than working at the White House."

"True. There is no other job offer. I'm going to go work for myself."

"Doing what Liv?"

"Crisis Management."

Cyrus shook his head and sat back in his chair.

"I don't like this, Liv. I don't. You're important to this administration. I bought you on because I knew how brilliant you are. You're also a really good friend and…..Fitz isn't going to like this. You know how much he values you around here. "

"Which is why I want to ask you not to tell him anything until he gets back from Chicago. He has enough to deal with right now with the threat of the strike. I'll tell him when he gets back at the end of the week."

He glared at her.

"Cyrus please."

"This just feels like it came out of nowhere Liv. You sure there's nothing else besides you wanting to work on your own?"

"I'm sure."

"Alright, alright. I can't say I'm happy to see you go. You're not going to be easy to replace."

"I'm happy to hear that, Cyrus. It warms my heart." She replied with a little sarcasm.

0o0o0o

Cyrus let out a long breath as Liv closed the door behind her. He reached for the phone and held the line till he got an answer.

"Mr. President."

"Cyrus."

"I have some bad news sir."

"What is it?"

"Olivia Pope just handed me her resignation letter."


	6. Tell Me Lies

_**A/N Yes if you can believe it, this is the second chapter in one day. I guess people will ask how come the chapters are coming so fast. Well truth be told, I'm going through some stuff right now and this is my escape. But enough of my sad story, this chapter gives us the showdown between Fitz and Liv. Hope you guys enjoy. Thanks so much for the comments! I love getting reviews.**_

"She did what?" Fitz heard exactly what Cyrus said. He just could not believe it.

"Olivia just resigned. She'll be gone by the time we break for the holidays, sir."

Fitz knew something was wrong yesterday when they'd had the early morning meeting about the pilot strike, but she denied that anything was wrong. He knew something was up that she didn't want to talk about, but he never guessed she was planning on leaving. And she waited until after he left to do it. It seemed like the coward's way out. And Liv was no coward. He couldn't fathom why she'd want to leave the White House. Something significant had to have happened.

"Did she say why?"

"She wants to go into Crisis Management. I think she's planning to open her own firm."

"Cyrus, that doesn't make any sense. Are you sure that's all she said?"

"That's what she said sir."

"Well we can't afford to lose her." _I can't afford to lose her, he thought_. "Make her an offer Cyrus; see if you can persuade her to stay. I'll talk to her when I get back. Thanks for calling." Fitz slowly put the phone back into its cradle and ran his fingers through his hair.

A sense of impending doom hit him like a ton of bricks. She couldn't leave. He wouldn't' let her. He'd find out whatever the hell it was that made her think that she wanted to leave and he'd deal with that. He couldn't imagine not seeing her every day. As President he lived in a bubble. Everything he did was monitored. He never left the White House grounds unaccompanied. There'd be no reason to see her unless it was related to work and if she didn't work there anymore….

Liv knew this. She knew that if she left they'd no longer be able to see each other. Is that what she wanted? It couldn't be could it? The last time they'd been together in the Rose Garden, everything had seemed fine.

He began to panic.

"God Livi, what are you doing?"

* * *

THE NEXT DAY

"You told him I resigned? After I asked you not to? Why Cyrus?"

"Because he would want to know. And he wants you to change your mind."

"Cyrus…."

"Now I've drawn up an offer for you to consider….here take a look." He said sliding a folder towards her totally ignoring her angry glare. Liv looked over the offer, a substantial amount in terms of money and a promise of promotion in another year. Any other person would jump at the opportunity. The President didn't make an offer like this if he didn't considerably value someone. If only money was the problem. She shook her head at him.

"No. Cyrus, it's not about money, no."

"Don't say no to it just yet. Fitz is coming back tonight and he's going to talk to you about it. Maybe you'll change your mind once you hear him out."

"He's not coming back tonight; he's not due back for another two days."

"Well turns out the pilots and the airlines were able to come to an agreement. They're not going to strike, so he's coming home early."

"Cyrus, this is a waste of time."

He walked up to her and put his hands on her arms.

"Liv…..I don't want you to go. I'm going to do whatever it takes to convince you to stay. You understand me? We're a team."

And with that he walked out and Liv watched him walk off. This was not as easy as she'd hoped it would be.

Karen popped into Liv's office just as she was about to go back around her desk.

"Karen."

"Please don't tell me you're leaving, Liv."

"Who told you I was leaving?"

"No one did. I was eavesdropping when Cyrus called my dad to tell him yesterday. Is it true?"

"Yes it is true, Karen."

"Why are you leaving?"

"Well I'm planning on working for myself."

"I can't say I blame you. This place can be a bit suffocating at times. I wish we were still in Santa Barbara most days. We're going back there for Christmas. I guess this means we won't be able to have girl talk anymore. "

"Of course it doesn't. You can call me whenever you need to."

Karen shook her head. "It won't be the same. Once you leave here you'll forget we even existed." Liv started to tear up at the sad tone in Karen's voice. She'd come to love Fitz's kids. She would truly miss them.

"That's not possible, Karen trust me. Come here." Karen walked towards her and hugged her.

"Well we all know you're going to miss me more than Gerry." They both laughed. "Liv, you know once dad gets back he's not going to let you go, right? He won't allow it. You might as well just tear up that resignation letter."

* * *

It was 5:45pm and Liv was headed into a meeting with the Press Secretary and a group of aides. She was about to exit her office when the phone rang. She turned round to get it.

"Olivia Pope."

"Ms. Pope, its Mrs. Hanley. The President wants to see you when you get out of your meeting. He'll be in his private office off the Oval."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hanley." She sighed.

She left her office and ran into Mellie on her way to the Rec room.

"Liv."

"Mellie."

"Fitz is back. I'm sure you've heard. No doubt he'll want to talk about you leaving. It'll probably be a difficult conversation for the both of you, but I'm sure you'll be able to get through it."

She smiled and walked off while Liv stared at her retreating back. The woman was truly a piece of work.

* * *

A half hour later, her meeting was over and Liv prepared herself to face Fitz. She knew exactly why he wanted her to meet him in his private office. There were no cameras in there, which meant if he wanted to touch her nothing would stop him. Any other time this wouldn't have mattered, but Liv normally couldn't think straight if he was too close and if there was any time that she needed to have her faculties about her, it was now.

She didn't know if she could do it. How could she tell him it was over?

She had to. Did she?

A part of her wanted to run into his arms, tell him everything that happened with Mellie, and a part of her just wanted to rip the band aid off the wound once and for and just move on as best as she could.

She took a deep breath as she knocked on the door of his office then walked in as he told her to come in.

Her heart melted as soon as she looked at him. The concern for her was in his eyes and all over his face.

"Liv, sit down." She really wanted to stand, but she didn't want to fight.

He looked at her trying to read her face, but she gave away nothing in her expression.

"Mr. President."

Fitz knew whatever it was, it had to be serious. Here in his private office with no cameras and total privacy, she was still referring to him by his title. He thought he'd begin simply.

"Liv, what's this about you resigning and leaving by the end of the year?"

She began to lie.

"I've thought about it for a few weeks now and I think it's time for me to leave." His eyes narrowed at that statement. It was the first time she ever lied to him and he wondered why.

"If you really wanted to leave for a few weeks as you put it, why didn't you say something before now? Why do you want to leave?"

"I want to go into business for myself." The words didn't sound convincing to her own ears so she knew Fitz didn't believe her. She had to lie better.

"Why are you lying?" He seemed annoyed now and she couldn't help thinking she'd feel the same way. Everything was coming out of left field now. Fitz wasn't just some average guy she could fool.

"I'm not. I worked on the campaign; I helped Cyrus get you into office. I feel like my work here is done." She tried to sound nonchalant, but she was failing miserably.

"So this is strictly a business decision, this has nothing to do with us?"

She didn't answer because that was the only reason she was doing this. She sat in front of him wishing the earth would just swallow her whole right now.

"Liv talk to me." He pleaded. "Tell me what it is so I can make it right."

The last sentence almost did her in and she felt she had to go. She got out of her chair and went to open the door. She wasn't fast enough as Fitz came from round his desk and blocked her exit and she was backed up against a wall.

"Olivia talk to me." He said softly. He sensed that she was struggling with something and wanted to soothe her. He softly touched her face.

Fitz towered over her, his face so close to hers and she looked away.

"Look at me." He said. "Look at me, Liv."

Liv knew that if she did, her whole resolve would crumble. She shook her head.

"I can't do this anymore."

"What?" Asked Fitz confused.

"I can't be with you anymore. I can't do this. You're a married man, and you have…. two beautiful children and you're the President of the United States."

"Liv….." Fitz's heart started to hammer away in his chest as his worst fears came true. He didn't want to believe it.

"This is impossible. It's an impossible relationship and I was a fool to think that this could go somewhere. You're never going to leave your wife and I won't be your dirty little secret anymore."

"Is that what you think you are to me?!" He said shaking her. "Olivia I love you."

"I can't do this anymore." She was frantic. She had to get out.

"Look at me damn it! Talk to me and tell me what happened. You think that I don't value what you and I have? Olivia you mean everything to me. I've never loved anyone else….I've never loved anyone else but you, don't you know that? Don't you know me?"

"What do we have Fitz? Stolen moments every now and again? Sex in my office, or out in the Rose Garden? They don't mean anything."

"What the hell are you talking about? Nothing you're saying is making any sense! What the hell happened? Talk to me!"

Maybe she should tell him. No. It wouldn't change anything.

Liv wanted nothing more to escape this room. But there was no way she could leave.

She was flat against the back wall of his office and he held her face in his two hands.

"Livi…..what have I said…..what have I done? I love you. I know this situation isn't ideal. I know I have no right, but….. I love you. And I can't ….I won't let you go."

"You have no choice."

"Do you love me?"

She couldn't answer. She didn't want to lie, but she couldn't tell him she did.

"Answer me, Liv." He insisted.

He kissed her then, passionately and without mercy. He seemed as if he was trying to kiss her back into her senses. He pulled her closer to himself until he had lifted her off the floor and she was against the full length of him.

Liv felt weak against him. It felt so good to be held so close to him. For a moment she allowed herself to be lost in his embrace but she knew to prolong the inevitable would only hurt more. She pushed against him until he put her down on the ground again. But he still wouldn't let her go.

"Fitz….."

He finally let his arms drop from around her and she took this moment to put some distance between them.

"I'm not letting you go, Liv. I love you and I'm not letting you go." He shook his head, his mind resolute and firm.

"I have to go." She said and quickly opened the door.

"Liv!" He cried after her. He wanted nothing more than to run after her but he couldn't. She was able to run now, but this wasn't over as far as he was concerned.

_**A/N So there it is. I still haven't decided IF Liv is going to leave. Depending on how the story develops in my mind it could go either way. I'm also still not sure if I want Liv to tell Fitz about her meeting with Mellie. we'll see what happens!**_


	7. Deck the Halls

It was about a week and a half till the offices at the White House would close for a brief Christmas break. Decorations had been put up all over the building including massive trees, garlands, snowflakes and coloured lights. The air was filled with the spirit of the holidays.

Despite the hectic work days, everyone seemed to be in good spirits, many of them had picked names to exchange gifts. For Liv it was bittersweet. It would be her second Christmas spent with the people here, but it would also be her last. It would also be her last with Fitz.

Many people came to stop by her office in the last few weeks after hearing that she was leaving. They wanted to express regret, but to also wish her well in her new project. Cyrus had finally given up trying to persuade her to stay once he realized she was hell bet on leaving.

Working with Fitz had been difficult. She did her best to avoid him when she could and made sure she wouldn't be alone with him for an extended period of time. It was the hardest thing she'd ever done. She didn't know how she would manage in the months to come.

She wasn't his wife, but she had always felt like she was his. Like she belonged in his heart, that she belonged by his side. She'd never allowed herself to be vulnerable with anyone else until he came along. She'd never been open with anyone the way she was with him. How could she live without him?

There a knock on her office door then it opened. It was Fitz.

"Good morning, Liv."

"Good morning, Mr. President." She said.

"The D.C. Boys' Choir is in the Mureau Room. I'm going to listen; will you come with me please?"

How could she deny him when he looked at her with the sweetest smile on his face?

"I'd love to Mr. President."

He opened the door further to let her pass and they walked together side by side.

"How are you today?" She asked him.

"I'd be better if you changed your mind about leaving." He said softly so only she could hear.

"I thought we were going to listen to some Christmas carols."

"We are, but don't ask a question if you don't really want the answer."

When they arrived the Choir was performing a beautiful rendition of 'The Little Drummer Boy'. It was one of her favourites. There were a couple of staffers already gathered when she and Fitz got there. Liv looked around for the staff photographer they hired.

Fitz put a hand on her shoulder when it looked as if she might move.

"Relax, he's right over there." He said pointing to Phillip, whose camera was around his neck. He'd been there since before the Choir arrived.

She smiled.

Fitz looked down on her briefly wishing he could put his arm around her. He forced himself to focus on the song and not the fact that he felt helpless to get her to reconsider.

She'd been avoiding him ever since their argument about her leaving. He felt like he was running out of time. Literally.

"Imagine I'm holding your hand." He whispered to her. Liv looked down to see his hand right beside hers, so close almost touching. The thought of their fingers intertwined together sent a tremor through her. It brought back memories of other times when they'd been together, with more than hands touching. Kissing, holding each other. Whispering to each other. She longed to be with him. She knew he felt it too.

"Dad." They both turned as Karen and Gerry entered the room. Gerry immediately stood next to Liv putting an arm around her waist. Fitz hated to admit it, but he was at this very moment wishing he could be that free to hold her like Gerry was right now.

"Gerry. Stop it." Warned Fitz. The kid was such a horn dog.

"It's alright Fitz." Liv said smiling down at Gerry, but he moved his arm anyway. Fitz put an arm around Karen's shoulder.

"You're not going to be here when we get back are you Liv?" Mellie was taking the kids to Santa Barbara in two days for Christmas. Fitz was flying out next week to meet them.

"No I won't be, Gerry. But I'll be just a phone call away, you know that."

He sighed. "I'm really going to miss you Liv."

"I'm going to miss you guys too." She said and hugged him.

"More than Karen though, right? She's such a pain in the a…."

"Gerry. Stop it. I'm going to miss you both." She said and put her arm around Karen too.

Fitz couldn't help thinking for a brief moment that he wished that this was his family. That it included Liv and not Mellie. Over the music they locked eyes with each other.

_I love you,_ he mouthed to her. Then she looked away.

* * *

"So whose name did you have Jeff?" Liv asked over the din of Christmas carols playing. They were enjoying a party for the staff in the East Room and she juggled a small cup of egg nog in one hand and her gift in the other.

"I had Cyrus."

"I knew it! " Cyrus said with his hands open. "Give it over." He said shaking the box to try to guess what was inside.

"Liv whose name did you have?" Asked Cyrus.

"I had Billy's. Where is he anyway?" She scanned the room and saw him in a dark corner with a blonde girl who she didn't recognize.

"Cyrus who is that girl Billy's with?"

Cyrus looked in the direction she was pointing. "Oh…I can't remember her name, but she's one of Fitz's aides."

"K." she walked over and gave Billy his gift and hugged him.

"And wouldn't you know I had your name, Olivia." He said handing her a small gift bag.

"Really? I had no idea. Thanks Billy." She said smiling and walked back towards Cyrus.

On her way back she bumped into Fitz.

"Merry Christmas." He said handing her a gift bag himself. "Don't open it till Christmas."

"Thank you, Mr. President."

"Liv, I need to talk to you."

"Fitz. There you are."

"Mellie."

"Leo Straussman is here. You wanted to know when he arrived."

"Right." He said walking off with Mellie on his heels.

Liv stayed at the party for a while longer, and then wondered into her office to get her bag. She wasn't truly in the partying mood and was ready to go home.

"The place isn't going to be the same without you, Liv. It's such a shame for you to have to leave this way. There's no telling where you could have gone if you stayed. Fitz is going to be hurt for a while, but eventually he'll refocus on what's important."

"You think you've won some sort of prize Mellie?"

"I won my husband back. _My_ husband, Liv."

"He's your husband Mellie, you are absolutely right. But he's a man who doesn't love you. You have his name and you have his children, but you don't have his heart. You don't have the best of him. What we had may have been a secret, it didn't happen under the best of circumstances, but it was real, and it was special, no matter how cheap you may try to paint it."

"Please spare me…."

"I won't. You have no idea what's like to be loved by that man. It's pure and it's sweet and it's fulfilling. He may eventually get over me, but he will never love you. So in the end, it's really you that's lost."

She walked past Mellie and left the building. She was thankful that she was leaving tomorrow with the kids and she'd never have to see her again.

* * *

Liv pulled her coat snug against her body. There was a biting chill in the air and she strongly believed it might snow soon. She walked a few feet till she saw the familiar face she was looking for.

"Huck!" She called out and he came walking towards her.

"Merry Christmas, Huck." She said handing him a shopping bag of things she'd bought for him.

"Thank you." He said. "I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"You know I'd never do that Huck. In fact I have a proposition for you."

* * *

Liv had two days left at the White House. After her confrontation with Mellie she'd felt numb. She was going through the motions as time started to creep up on her. Every day she went home from work her heart sank more and more. She couldn't get Fitz out of her mind no matter how she tried.

She looked up as her door opened. It was Fitz.

"Finishing up?" He asked.

"Just about yeah."

"Well whatever it is, leave it. You're coming with me. "

"Where are we going?" She asked getting up.

"I want to show you something."

"Mr. President, where are we going?" she looked around, the place was basically deserted. Most of the staff had gone home and the halls were silent save for the Christmas carols that were playing over the radio.

"Just come with me." She followed him up to the Second Floor and Liv was puzzled when he took her into The China Room.

"Have you ever had the White House Tour?"

"No actually I haven't, which is weird I suppose." She took a look around at all the place setting left behind by the previous families who lived there. It was quite impressive. Fitz was the perfect tour guide, taking her from setting to setting and giving her a little info on some of the families. She smiled at his presentation. It was so sweet.

"Next we're going to the Yellow Oval Room." He said taking her hand but she pulled away.

"Fitz."

"Relax Liv. No one's around." He said and held her hand again wrapping his fingers around hers.

"It's gorgeous isn't it? Its' strictly for very important guests, so I had to bring you up here."

He allowed her to look around for a while, then pulled on her hand towards the balcony. The view there was breathtaking. There was a soft breeze blowing in the night air and it was quiet. Liv stood with her hands on the balcony taking in the sight before her, now very aware of Fitz who was standing directly behind her, with his arms on the railing so she wasn't able to move.

She knew she shouldn't be here.

"Fitz."

"I don't want you to go. Say you'll stay Liv. Just say the words."

"I can't Fitz. It's time for both of us to move on."

"Why can't you just tell me what changed between when were together at the Rose Garden and right before I left for Chicago? I know something happened and I wish you wouldn't shut me out like this. We always tell each other everything, why are you lying to me now."

"Whatever happened doesn't matter. I've just come to the realization that I can't be your…"

"Don't say it. Don't you dare say it. You know how much you mean to me." He spun her round to face him.

"Look me in my eyes and tell me you don't love me." She shook her head.

"I can't do that."

"Then what….?"

"Fitz…I"

He kissed her pulling her close so she couldn't continue. He didn't want to hear the words anymore.

He took her by the hand and led her back inside and to the Lincoln bedroom. He pulled her close and kissed her on one cheek and then another. And he gently touched his lips to hers.

She started to shake her head in protest, but he cupped her face in his hands. "Liv, please." He whispered.

He needed to be with her and she needed to be with him. If only one last time.

Liv melted against him surrendering to his needs as much as her own. He was tender and insistent at the same time. Each touch was a brand, a mark, a memory and a gift. Every kiss was a claiming. Of her as his own.

He pounded into her with such force she felt that she would break. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her finger through his hair. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, while she moaned deeply.

Liv wrapped her legs around his back and he put his hands under her butt.

"I love you." He said going deeper and deeper.

"I love you. She said looking into his eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you. Oh Fitz!" she screamed her orgasm and grabbed at his back. Fitz bit into her neck at his final stroke and he joined her in ecstasy.

Afterwards he held her tightly against him not wanting to move.

"I love you Olivia." He said finally, but Fitz knew it wasn't enough to make her stay.


	8. Pieces of Me

_**A/N**_ **_Oh my Goodness. I can't express the joy at the reviews and the PM's from the last chapter. even the shout outs on Twitter. Love you all. The last chapter was very bittersweet, and i really wanted to capture how difficult it was when Liv left for the both of them. Couple people liked that Liv told Mel off a little. So was I. And don't we love the Grant Kids? anyway, this chapter is brief, it's only a transition chapter. Things are about to get interesting in the next few chapters to come. So stay tuned and enjoy._**

Today was her last day.

As she walked the corridors of the White House to go to her office she memorized every event, every experience, every person she had met since she had been here. She got to her office to find it decorated with a farewell banner, balloons and streamers.

During the day there were a few tears shed, there were flowers delivered, fruit baskets and gifts that a few of her coworkers had bought. There was a huge white orchid arrangement from Fitz. He knew they were her favourite flower. Later on she learned they had even bought a cake and had some food catered for a tiny farewell party for her.

Cyrus made a speech saying how happy he had been to have her not only as a student and coworker but also as a good friend. He told her he was proud of her and wished her well in her new career venture. Liv could hear the sadness in his voice but she appreciated his sincerity even more.

"Don't be a stranger, Liv." He said before hugging her.

She sat as everyone had their chance to tell their 'how I met Olivia Pope' speech and laughed at the stories they told about her joining the campaign. They talked about her initial meeting with the President and how they were shocked she wasn't kicked off the campaign immediately. Liv laughed since none of them knew she actually had been instantly fired by Fitz then rehired right away.

Fitz was there too. He stood in a corner of the room away from everybody else pretending to have a good time, pretending not to look at her. But she could feel that he was as devastated about her leaving as she was.

At the end of it all, he said a few words as well.

"Liv, you have made a tremendous difference in our lives here starting with your outrageous debut during the campaign till you outrageously announced your exit a few weeks back. We will never forgive you for shining your light so brightly on us and then asking us to suddenly live without it. But we sincerely wish you the best in whatever you do. And like Cyrus said, don't be a stranger." Everyone applauded and Liv willed herself not to cry.

* * *

By day's end her office was cleared out and all her things were packed into her car. All of her goodbyes and farewells had been said save for one. She made her way to Fitz's private office, sat down and waited.

In the back of Fitz's desk on a book shelf was a picture of him and a friend in their dormitory back when they were in the Air Force Basic Training. Fitz had told her they were goofing around before inspection. She couldn't remember his name, but she remembered the story Fitz told her about how they had to keep their dorm completely spotless at all times. She remembered the look on his face as he told her his story.

"Liv, we had to be totally uniformed in everything we did. Even our beds had to be made up a certain way."

"No way."

"I'm serious. We had to make up our beds, well we called them 'racks', with 45 degree hospital corners."

"Hospital corners?"

"Yes. The overhang of the flat sheets had to be folded at a 45 degree angle and tucked and smoothed out just right. This was a science I'm telling you. We even had to have our shoes shined and lined up a certain way underneath our beds so…"

Liv smiled remembering how excited he was telling her about the Basic Training and the great experience he had there. They hadn't been just lovers and colleagues, they'd been friends too. They'd worked hard together, but they'd also shared a lot of laughs, memories and tender moments with each other.

The office door opened and Fitz walked in. He paused when he saw her, then closed the door behind him.

"Hi."

"I thought you'd left without saying goodbye."

"No. I didn't."

He walked over to his desk and sat in front of her on the edge of it just looking at her. Fitz wanted to plead with her to stay. He wanted to tell her that he loved her and that what she was doing wasn't making sense. He wanted to tell her that he needed her, but he also knew that nothing he said right now would change her mind.

"I got something for you." She said and handed him the gift bag she brought with her. "Don't open it till Christmas." She said, just like he'd told her about the gift bag he gave her at the staff party. He took it and smiled.

She got up from the chair and walked towards him. Liv put her palm against his face and he closed his eyes. She felt as if her heart was broken. She touched her face to his, and there they stood in silence, not needing to say anything. Fitz put his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Livi….." He said helplessly. "Liv…."

She kissed him then, tenderly and sweetly, for the last time.

"If you ever need anything…." He whispered and she smiled.

She got her bag and walked towards the door.

"Goodbye Mr. President." And then she was gone taking Fitz's heart with her.

* * *

Today was her last day.

And now Liv was gone. Fitz made his way up to the residence and went into the bedroom. He kicked off his shoes and lay across the bed thinking of her once again. He was never going to be the same.

Last year they'd both said goodbye when the West Wing closed for the holidays, but they'd known that they would see each other in the New Year. Now this good bye had been final and he didn't know when or if he'd see her again. His heart was broken. He felt as if he'd punched in the gut, had the wind knocked out of him.

Fitz cursed the day she walked into his campaign office. He cursed the moment Cyrus told him to make 'nice' with her and get her back. He knew this would happen. He knew if she stayed around he would fall in love with her. What he didn't know was how much he would end up needing her. He knew right at this moment that he needed her, more than air.

And she was gone.

* * *

Liv lay in bed in her apartment thinking of the days ahead of her. Tomorrow she was flying out to Brooklyn to spend the holidays with her mother, her sister and her nieces. She wasn't sure how much of her uncles and aunts were coming, but she knew the house would be full. And it was exactly what she needed. She was glad to have something to distract her from thinking of Fitz all the time and seeing images of him before her eyes over and over again.

She felt like she left her heart there with him. A piece of her was missing and she felt like she would never be whole again.

She pulled the covers over her head and turned her face into the pillow. The tears she'd held in all day down started to fall and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Fitz…."

* * *

**_A/N forgot to add that lots of people had said they wished for a baby. well i had toyed with the idea of Liv getting pregnant before i started this story so that is still a possibility. still not sure though. _**


	9. Blue Christmas

**_A/N First I want to say that I'm really blown away by the reviews I got for the last chapter. Like seriously. I really had no idea the impact the story would have on people who read it, and including me. As emotional as people were over the story, that's how emotional i was over the reviews. Thanks so much especially to Queen Peach and Neo, I really appreciate it. This chapter can also be considered a transition chapter. We get to see Liv and Fitz interact with family while still dealing with the aftermath of the break up. Enjoy._**

* * *

"Well Merry Christmas, Cy. I'll see you next week. Tell James, I said Merry Christmas."

"Will do Mr. President. And you enjoy your holidays too."

Fitz shrugged into his coat and made his way outside to board Marine One. He was heading to Santa Barbara to meet up with Mellie and the kids. He was anxious to see Karen and Gerry and get back to cooler weather. He missed the horses and wanted to spend time riding and literally getting back into the saddle. He looked forward to spending time on the ranch overall.

It had only been a day since Olivia had left and he missed her already. He needed something, anything to take his mind off of her.

"Mr. President, Mrs. Hanley wanted me to give you these."

Fitz turned to see Amanda Tanner behind him, handing him two flat boxes with a smile on her face.

"What's this?" He said picking up the Post-It note on it that said 'random samples'."

"The first one is filled with Christmas cards from different people, Congressman, Senators. There should be some from a few staff members here too. The other one is an album of pictures taken around the office during the last couple weeks, the events, party, and staff."

"Oh ok. Well thank you. Enjoy your holiday, Amanda."

"You too sir. I hope you get everything you want."

Fitz knew he wasn't imagining it, but there was that flirtatious smile again. He didn't reply, he simply turned and walked away.

* * *

"Dad's here!" Said Karen rushing for the door.

"I come bearing gifts." Said Fitz smiling at her. "Or rather the Secret Service is." He turned to look at the group of agents behind him with shopping bags and his luggage.

"What'd you get me?" Asked Gerry walking in the living room. He was listening to music on his IPod and took his ear buds out for a minute.

"Nothing, you little twerp." Said Karen pushing past them and relieving one agent of a bag with a department store logo on it.

"Aunt Sarah's here. She's in the den with mom. Are you going to go in?"

"To say hello yeah. But I need something to eat, I'm hungry." He took his coat off and put it into the coat closet in the hallway. "What have you been up to? You took Duchess out for a ride yet?"

"For the past few days yeah! It's so much fun dad, I really miss her. You want to go out with me later? You can take Wingman. Please?" She asked referring to Fitz's favourite stallion.

"Sure. But later on okay."

"Cool dad."

Karen wandered off to her room, while Fitz walked into the den.

"Ladies…." He said walking over to Mel and kissed her before walking over to Sarah to wrap her up in a bear hug. "Look at you. I swear you look younger every time I see you. Where's Will?" he asked referring to her husband.

"He'll be here later today. Last minute project at work."

"Ah."

"He's coming and so are his brother Brian and his wife." Said Mellie.

Fitz raised his eyebrows at that statement. "And where are they staying?"

"I told them they could stay here."

"And why on earth would you do that, Mellie? We already have Sarah and Will, and your sister and mother are coming tomorrow. Are we running a motel? "

"It's Christmas Fitz."

"So what does that mean? I want a nice _quiet_ holiday."

"It means you don't get to be Mr. Grinch right now, we have people coming. You're going to entertain your guests and you'll like it if it kills you."

"And I bet you're hoping it does kill me, aren't you?"

"You haven't heard the best part yet." Sarah grinned at Mellie.

"Can my heart take it?"

"Well Brian and his wife are bringing their two kids."

Fitz lightly touched his temples and sighed. "I'm going to get something to eat." He walked into the hallway while Sarah and Mel's laughter echoed behind him.

He went into the kitchen and met Gerry there stuffing his face and looking through the photo album he'd bought with him. He stopped at a photo taken of them in the Mureau room at the White House while they were listening to the D.C. Boys' Choir. Liv's arms were around both Gerry and Karen and Fitz looked at them adoringly.

"Check this out dad."

Fitz walked over to see the photo he was pointing at.

"What are you two gawking at?" Mel walked into the kitchen just then and took a look at the photograph too.

"Well doesn't that look cozy? A picture perfect family if I ever saw one. And the expression on your face is absolutely priceless Fitz. Humph." She got a canned soda out of the fridge and left, Fitz staring at her back.

Gerry paused the song on his IPod for a minute and stared at the photo and the way his father was staring at Olivia. He thought of Mel's comments and watched his father as he helped himself to some of the food that was on the stove. He wondered if his father felt something more for Liv besides friendship. He smiled, and then shook his head at what had to be a crazy idea.

* * *

Liv hopped out of her cab and the driver helped carry her bags up the steps of her mother's brownstone in Cobble Hill. A smile crossed her face as she rang the doorbell. Her cell phone had been ringing incessantly since she'd gotten off the plane and told them she was on her way. They were excited to see her and she was excited to see them. A small blanket of snow was on the ground and the air was chilly.

The door finally opened and she was greeted by her mother Ella Pope.

"Livi!" Her arms were wide open and she hugged Olivia tightly.

"Mommy!" No matter how old she got, Olivia always felt like she was her mother's baby.

"Girl I missed you. Come in, come in. Jason, come get your Aunt Livi's bags." She commanded and a young boy of fourteen wearing loose fitting jeans and a t-shirt appeared at the doorway. He hugged Liv then immediately picked up her bags. Liv was stunned at how much he'd grown since she'd last seen him. He practically towered over her.

"Put them in the bedroom next to mine." Said her mom and ushered Liv inside, closing the front door.

"When did he get so big? Has it been that long?"

"Olivia!"

"Lauryn." She ran to hug her big sister as she came walking out of the kitchen. The resemblance between the two of them was uncanny. Same full mouth, high cheekbones and beautiful brown eyes.

"Now just look at you. I missed the two of you so much."

"Yes you need to come home more often. Talking on the phone isn't enough. Have you seen my big man?" She said referring to Jason.

"Yes. He's so tall I have to look up to him now."

"Mmm hmm, every girl from the neighbourhood has been here to see him since we got here this week."

"Mom please don't exaggerate!" Cried Jason from the other room.

"Well we're in the kitchen prepping for the big day and getting organized. Come on. You need to take off those expensive heels and put on an apron. This is a working weekend you know."

"And here I thought I came here for a holiday."

"This wouldn't be the first time you thought wrong, now would it?"

She smiled at her sister, being bossy as ever. Same as her. The apple didn't fall far from the tree. She spent the rest of the day helping with whatever was needed in the kitchen and catching up with them both. Lauryn mentioned to Liv that there was a man at the corner market who was interested in their mother.

"What?"

"Yes Liv. Apparently this woman, your mother, went on this said rendezvous with this man and didn't ask anyone's permission." She said pointing at Ella.

"As if I needed it." Said Ella rolling her eyes.

"You sure do. We don't know who this man is, who are is people? Where is he from? Is he an undercover murderer that the police just haven't caught yet?"

Liv burst out laughing while her mother shook her head.

"Liv this is what I have to deal with, ever since they got here this week. I'm sorry I told her. And Marvin is a nice man. I was thinking of inviting him over on Christmas day but now I'm reconsidering."

"Well I need to meet this man. Laurie, don't we need a few things for the potato salad? I think we need to go down to this corner market. What's his name again?" She grinned conspiratorially with her sister.

"And you're just as bad as her. I give up."

Her mother was in the process of baking apple pies, carrot cake, pound cake and rum cake. Lauryn was prepping two turkeys and two hams.

She and her sister, along with her brother in law Daniel were staying at her mother's while they were expecting their uncles and aunts over too on Christmas day. It was going to be a full house. That was exactly the way she wanted it. She wanted to be surrounded by people so she couldn't think about Fitz.

So far she was doing well at pretending everything was normal.

"I have a bit of a headache though. Liv do you have any aspirin?" Asked Lauren.

"I should, let me check my bag. " She walked out of the kitchen and into the guest bedroom. Opening her bag she searched for the bottle of Advil she'd taken with her. Instead, she found her small pack of birth control pills. She'd forgotten to take one this morning. She sighed thinking that now that things were over with Fitz, she wouldn't really need them anymore.

She sat down on the bed wondering what he might be doing right this minute. She idly touched the ring Fitz gave her and remembered the last night they spent together. God she missed him.

"Hey, you okay in here?" Her sister stood watching her from the doorway.

"I'm fine." She lied.

* * *

CHRISTMAS EVE

Despite Fitz's protests at having so many guests in the house he truly enjoyed having everyone over. His days had been full of laughs, riding the horses out in back, spending time with the kids and spending time with family. The only time he spent thinking about Olivia was after everyone had gone to bed and he was finally left alone with his thoughts.

Tonight was no different. He sat by the Christmas tree with the gift box Liv had given him on her last day at the White House.

_Don't open it till Christmas_, she had said.

Fitz looked at the clock. It was about five more minutes till midnight so technically it would be Christmas day in a few minutes. He tore off the wrapping which revealed a box with the Breitling logo on it. He opened the box which revealed a Breitling watch. What made him smile was that the watch's model was called _'Avenger'_.

His call sign while he was a military pilot was _'Avenger'_.

He took it out of the box and flipped it over. There was a small inscription on the back.

'_Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours' _

Fitz recognized the quote from Beethoven's letters to an unknown love. He'd given Liv a copy of them as a gift on Valentine's Day this year.

"Liv….." He said holding his head in his hands. It was the same inscription that…..

"Dad are you okay?"

He looked up to see Karen standing over him looking concerned.

"Sweetheart, I'm fine. What are you doing up?"

"Are you sure? I thought I heard you say Olivia's name." She had also noticed that Fitz was a bit misty eyed as well.

"No I didn't." he denied picking up the wrapping paper. "You probably misheard me."

Karen was sure she didn't. For some reason both her parents seemed to think she had the intuition of a five year old. Most of the time she could see right through them, especially when they were lying.

"That's a nice watch. Can I see it?"

Fitz handed it to her, temporarily forgetting the inscription on the back. Just as she was about to turn it over he snatched it out of her hands. Too many questions would arise if she saw it.

"Breitling, huh? That's a pretty expensive watch, dad. Who got it for you?"

"What's with the twenty questions, honey? I'm going to bed."

"Hey dad?"

"Yes?" He said turning around.

"Merry Christmas."

He walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead. "Merry Christmas sweetheart. I love you."

* * *

CHRISTMAS MORNING

The house was still quiet and as far as Liv knew no one was awake yet. She looked through her carryon bag for the gift Fitz had given her. She sat down on the bed with the box in her hand. Her heart beat sped up in anticipation.

It was a small flat box from Tiffany.

She gasped as she opened it. Inside was an 18k white gold bangle with diamonds over ¾ of it.

"Oh my goodness." She saw there was an inscription on the inside.

'_Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours'_

The exact same inscription she'd had engraved on the watch she had given him.

"Fitz…." She whispered as two tears fell down her cheeks.

* * *

_**A/N Fitz is starting to notice that Amanda is possibly flirting with him, but he's still clearly not over Liv and not remotely interested. We also see that both the Grant kids are noticing little tell tale signs that things between their parents are not what they seem. Keep an eye out for the Grant kids in upcoming chapters. As always I look forward to your reviews.**_


	10. Haunted Dreams, Faint Whispers

"So what do you think?"

Stephen grinned at Liv as she spun round in what was to be the conference room of Pope & Associates. She looked excited and he was genuinely happy for her. It was just the day after New Year's but she insisted he_ had_ to see the office space she decided on.

"I like it." He said and she ran over to him throwing a mock punch at his stomach.

"I know right. I told you! It's amazing she said walking into one of the offices and looking out the window. She took in the view and then her eyes rested on the sight of the White House to her right. She stared at it for a bit and turned to Stephen hearing his footsteps behind her.

"I think this will be my office."

Stephen caught where her gaze had rested and shook his head. "You're going to miss it."

"I already do. But I'm excited about this, about us. And you're going to be my go to guy, my Number One like Riker was to Picard."

He laughed at the Star Trek reference. "So who else are you bringing on board?"

"Well I got a tech guy coming in, his name is Huck. He's former CIA, a computer mastermind among other things. And I have Harrison Wright. He can sell water to a well. He's that good. He used to work for a luxury car dealership before working for Adnan Salif."

"Salif?" He recognized the name since Salif had been convicted for insider trading.

"Yes, luckily he was able to get away from that horrible mess with only six months and a five year probation."

"Do I have to ask _how_ he managed to do that? Well who else you got?"

"I've got Abby."

Stephen looked pointedly at her. "Abby Whelan?"

"Yes. After her divorce I think this job would be good for her. And I want her with me. Can you work with her and be professional? I know what went on between you two didn't exactly…."

"I'll be fine Liv. And I'm with Georgia now, remember?" He smiled down at her.

"Yes and when do I get to meet her?"

"How bout Friday? I'll take you both to dinner."

"I would love that." She sad smiling up at him. "Come on let's go grab some lunch, your treat. I want to open in three weeks."

"Three weeks? You've got to be joking. Liv that's not gonna be enough time."

"We'll make it work. And I need to organize a meeting with everyone. Stephen can you tell I'm excited?" She had to admit as much as she'd hated having to leave her job at the White House, she truly was happy about going out on her own.

"Wait, just how did you hook up with the ex CIA guy?" He said as they got into the elevator.

She smiled and shook her head. "Now that's a long story."

0o0o0o0o

January 25th

Mellie was annoyed. She watched Fitz as he sat down at breakfast and rolled her eyes. She'd known him for over 20 years so unlike other people around him she noticed the subtle differences in his personality whenever they occurred. Since Olivia left last year he'd been in a horrible funk. Sure he was able to function at work, do his job, but he was withdrawn, detached, and just plain sad all the damn time.

The hurt was literally emanating from him and she felt almost strangled by it. She could feel it with every breath he took and she was getting sick of it. She knew he wouldn't take Olivia's leaving well, but she didn't know it would take him this long to rebound from the break up. When was he going to snap out of it?

She shook her head and took a sip of coffee, looked over and found Karen watching her.

"What is it honey?" She said putting a smile on her face.

"Nothing, mom." Replied Karen turning her gaze towards Fitz now who was idly tracing the face of his Breitling watch while reading the morning paper. He still hadn't said who'd given it to him. She was convinced it wasn't from her mother.

Mellie looked up at Karen again, shaking her head at her daughter. Sometimes she could be positively eerie for such a young girl.

She got up from the table, picking up her bag and heading towards the front door.

"Where you going Mom?" Asked Gerry.

"I have a meeting with the board for the Literacy Scholarship. I should be back by mid afternoon. And you two need to get ready for school. Fitz I'll see you later."

"_Literacy_." Karen murmured under her breath.

0o0o0o

4:15pm

Liv sat in her office sipping some tea and staring at a picture of her and Fitz standing together in the Rec Room at the White House. Her head was bent as she was listening to him. There was a smile on his face. She remembered that day. He looked so handsome in the photo.

Her days had been better, and thankfully so had her nights. She no longer cried when she thought of him. The ache in her chest when she remembered the times they spent together didn't hurt as much as it had before. Maybe the saying that time heals all wounds was true. It had been almost two months since she first told Fitz that she was leaving, that day was still clear in her mind.

He still haunted her dreams at night. Sometimes she would wake up feeling almost like he was there.

"Liv." There was a knock on her door and Harrison walked in.

"Yes."

"You have a visitor."

Liv got up to see who it was and was stunned to see Karen Grant walking towards her. She was still dressed in her school uniform and her backpack was on her shoulder. She waved at Liv and smiled.

"Hey Liv."

Liv walked over to her and hugged her. "Karen. How are you? What on earth are you doing here?"

"Well you said I could call anytime I wanted. "

"I did."

"I decided to come over instead of calling. I hope that's ok."

"Of course it is." Liv looked around for her protection detail and saw that she was alone. "Karen, does anyone know you're here?"

She shrugged. "I ditched my detail. They're probably looking for me now."

"Karen…."

"It's okay. I had my friend drop me off. I just wanted to see you. I had to talk to you."

"Well what is it honey?" She said leading her over to the couch so they could sit.

"Something's up with dad."

"What do you mean?"

"Something's wrong with him. He was fine over Christmas….no, he pretended to be fine over Christmas, but since we got back to D.C., he just hasn't been the same."

Liv looked at Karen and smiled. People truly underestimated how astute this young woman was, and that had always been a trait she'd admired in her. Now however, she was worried about Fitz. Was he okay?

"What have you noticed?"

"He's sad all the time. He pretends he's alright around Cyrus and when he's at work, but I know he's not. He spends a lot of time in his private office at home too. He's acting almost like he misses someone."

Now Liv was starting to worry about just how perceptive Karen could be. What had she deduced from observing Fitz?"

"Maybe you're jumping to conclusions."

"Liv I'm a teenager. I see it all the time at school. If he wasn't my dad, I'd swear he was one of the boys at school pining over some girl after a breakup." Suddenly, it was as if a light bulb went on over Karen's head and she looked at Liv and smiled.

"Karen…."

"Wow. " She stood up putting her hand over her mouth in shocking realization. "Oh my God I can't believe I never noticed. But it all makes sense now."

"Karen…."

"Did you give my dad that watch?"

Liv got up from the chair and turned her back to Karen.

"You did didn't you? Christmas Eve I was right there after he opened it and I heard him. I heard him call your name."

"Karen I don't know what to tell you. Your father and I…..your father is a married man. I have nothing but respect….."

Karen shook her head at Liv. Looking at her, she concluded that she must have some feelings for her father too. She wasn't sure anything had happened between the two of them physically, but she was sure there were some mutual feelings there.

"Liv, I'm not going to assume anything, that's not my place. I'm just worried about my dad and since you know him so well I figured I'd come and talk to you. He's a wreck right now and I hate to see him like this."

"Maybe you should discuss this with Mellie." Liv felt incredibly nauseous all of a sudden like she wanted to throw up. Even the thought of Mellie made her sick to her stomach.

"Come on Liv, you know my mom. Are you serious?"

"We need to let your father know where you are." She picked up her cell phone but Karen stopped her.

"I'll call him." She took out her Blackberry calling Hal Williams, her father's protective agent. He got Fitz on the phone.

"Sweetheart where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine dad; I just wanted to see a friend."

"Are you sure you're alright? What friend is this you had to ditch your detail to go and see?"

"I went to see Olivia." Karen's eyes were fixed on Liv who was doing her best to keep a straight face. "Yes I'm at her office. Mm hmm…yeah she's right here. You wanna talk to her?" She handed the phone to Liv whose heart was now hammering in her chest.

"Mr. President." She sad with more calm than she felt.

On the other end of the phone Fitz was ecstatic to hear the sound of her voice after all this time. He pictured her face, her eyes, her smile and he longed to see her.

"Liv. How are you?"

_I_ _want to see you. I need you. I'm so lost without you._

"I'm fine thank you, Sir."

_I miss you so much. _

"She just stopped by after school. But she's okay. We've just been sitting down, catching up, you know. Girl talk."

_Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours._

"It wasn't a bother at all. I'm glad to see her."

_I still love you._

As Liv talked to her father a bit and then gave directions to her offices to have someone pick her up, she knew without a doubt that they were in love with each other. She had to tell Gerry.

O0o0o0o

Karen was summoned to Fitz's office as soon as she got home. She sat next to him on the couch as he silently looked at her in bewilderment.

"As annoying as you may find it, your protection detail are with you for a reason. Do you know how dangerous it is for you to run off on your own like that? What if something had happened to you? I'd never be able to live with myself Karen. Please don't ever make me worry like that again."

"I'm sorry dad."

"Why on earth did you go over to Olivia's anyway? And don't give me that 'girl talk' excuse because I know that's not true."

"I was worried about you."

"Worried about me? Why?"

"I've just noticed that you seem to be going through something and I thought maybe she could …."

"Could what?"

"Dad. Gerry and I aren't as _simple_ as you think we are you know."

"What are you talking about?"

"Dad….I'm just going to come out and say it. I know you're in love with Olivia."

"Karen…"

"Don't bother denying it. I can see it all over you. Don't start with the 'I'm married excuse' either. Now we don't have to talk about it. Actually I'd rather we didn't. I just want you to be okay. I don't like seeing you like this." She got up and hugged him tightly.

Fitz was stunned, if not a little impressed to learn that his teenage daughter wasn't a complete airhead like many other girls her age.

"How long am I grounded for?"

"I think two weeks is fair."

"Good I thought you were going to say a month." She bounded for the door.

"Don't make me change my mind."

"You can't, two weeks already left your mouth. Bye dad."

He shook his head and smiled.

0o0o0o

Fitz got out of the shower late that night and headed to bed. Like many nights since she'd left, he drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Liv on his mind. His dreams of her were very vivid, they almost felt real. It was torture to wake up from them realizing she was still gone from his life.

He could feel her lips on his, nipping at them, teasing him while she pressed herself against him. She would kiss his neck, lick at him with her tongue, making him ache with his desire for her.

Fitz moaned in his sleep feeling soft hands caress his torso then a warm wet tongue moved across his nipple. He became aware of a subtle movement against him and opened his eyes slowly to see Mellie straddling him, fully naked.

"Mel….what?"

She put her finger over his mouth. "Sshhhh." She said and mounted him.

She lowered herself along the full length of him and started to ride him. It had been a long while since he and Mel had been together like this. Since he'd been with Liv, he could count the number of times on one hand that they'd had sex.

She quickened her pace moaning as she moved him deeper and deeper inside her. She took his hands and placed them over her breasts. He lightly squeezed her nipples and she arched her back bucking wildly into him. Fitz closed his eyes and pictured Liv's face. He imagined she was on top of him riding him hard. He grabbed Mel's hips pushing into her with force. She cried out feeling close to orgasm and so was he.

He pulled Mel towards his chest and rolled over on top of her. With a few quick thrusts she came and he pounded into her until his orgasm burst from his body.

He lay against her for a minute catching his breath, then rolled over onto his side away from her. He pictured Liv's face again and felt more alone than ever.

"Liv." He whispered but Mel wasn't deaf to the lone name that escaped his mouth.

"Bastard." She said and went to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

_What would it take to get Fitz's mind off Olivia Pope?_


	11. Sweet Baby

Liv sat on the couch in her office watching the news. There was a featured story about Fitz. He was meeting with members of the Veteran's Association from Virginia. There he was shaking hands with them, posing for pictures. There was a short interview with him at the end, and she couldn't help listening to his remarks and critiquing them. He did well, she thought.

She wondered if he missed her as much as she still missed him. Two months hadn't dulled her feelings for him in the least. She was stupid to think she'd stop loving him that quickly anyway. Everything in her had jumped the day Karen came to her office and she heard his voice on the phone. They'd only spoken about Karen and getting her home safely, but there was so much in what hadn't been said between them.

She glanced to her right and saw Abby and Stephen in the conference room doing research, their heads close together, the both of them laughing at something. Her initial anxiety about them being uncomfortable working together had been unfounded. They acted like the best of friends. Though Liv wasn't fooled. She could see Abby still had feelings for Stephen. She didn't know exactly why it hadn't worked out between the two. Though she guessed it had to have been because of Stephen not being able to keep it in his pants. When he mentioned that he was dating Georgia, Liv was happy for him, but secretly she wondered how long it would last.

"Liv, there's a White House messenger here to see you."

She got up from the couch as a young man with a medium sized box walked towards her.

"What's this?"

"It's a gift from the President ma'am. Sign here for me please."

She signed for the package, then took it over to her desk and sat down. She opened the box to reveal a limited edition pen set from Mont Blanc from Gaius Maecenas and some luxury writing paper. There was a note from Fitz and she smiled as she read it. He really didn't have to send this to her. She knew he wanted her to call him. Proper protocol demanded that she call to say thank you, but she debated the wisdom in it. But if she didn't call, it would be rude.

She shook her head, reaching for the phone, when it rang.

"Olivia Pope."

"Well hello Ms. Pope. How are you?"

It was her sister, Lauryn.

"Laurie! Hey what's up?"

"Just checking up on you. How's the opening gone so far? Have you gotten any business yet?"

"So far we've had a few clients, yes. I'm meeting a new client today."

"I still can't believe you left the White House."

_Me either,_ Liv thought.

"Why don't you come and check it out for yourself? What are you doing this weekend?"

"Nothing. Daniel is travelling to New York for work this week. I'm on my own."

"Well catch a flight here. We can kick back this weekend. I'll reschedule whatever meetings I have and we can catch up. I won't take no for an answer."

She had been on the phone for almost an hour, when Stephen interrupted.

"David Williamson is here."

"Hey Laurie, my client just walked in so I have to go. See you soon, okay?"

Liv got to her feet, and started to walk towards the door when she suddenly felt dizzy and almost fell over just as Stephen rushed to catch her from falling.

"Liv!" He said, helping her back to her chair. "Hey are you okay? Put your head down between your knees." He said his hand on her back.

"I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She sad nodding. "I haven't eaten yet today, probably just need to eat something. Let's get this meeting over with so I can do that."

* * *

**THE NEXT DAY**

**3:45pm**

Liv walked into The Grille in downtown D.C. where she was meeting David Williamson for a late lunch. From the meeting yesterday, she could guess his case was going to be a handful. He didn't want to talk freely in front of her team and insisted that she meet him today to go over the details of his case.

She was in such a rush to get inside that she didn't notice the presence of the Secret Service agents outside or the agents walking just a little ahead of her. She walked up to the maître'd.

"Good afternoon. Reservation for Olivia Pope."

Fitz heard her voice behind him, he was sure of it. He stopped mid stride and turned to see her standing at the maitre'd's desk enquiring about a reservation. He'd come here today to meet Peter Carmichael his old college buddy for lunch.

She wore a simple business suit, but he thought she looked stunning. Her hair was different. She looked more serious, reserved than she normally did, but there was Livi. He had to see her. He gave instructions to Hal and waited while he walked over to Liv.

"Ms. Pope?"

Liv turned round to see Hal smiling at her.

"Hal. How are you?"

"Just fine ma'am. The President would like a moment with you please."

Liv's heart hammered in her chest and she followed Hal to a secluded area of the restaurant in the back of a corridor. Fitz stood there waiting for her with a look of anticipation on his face.

"Liv…." He whispered to himself. It had been so long since he'd seen her. "Thank you, Hal."

Liv walked toward him, mentally stopping herself from running into his arms. Every part of her was beginning to wake up and respond to this man. She couldn't explain it. It felt as if there was a magnet pulling her in his direction.

"Mr. President."

"Livi."

She walked closer to where he was, stood beside him and they both leaned on the back wall. She turned to look at him and felt her heart breaking all over again.

"I miss you." He said, his voice low so only she could hear. "I miss you, Liv. Please stop this. End this torture…..for the both of us."

She needed to go, but she couldn't move. She felt rooted to the spot. She looked down feeling him link his finger with hers. She felt like she would melt right there. Her breath quickened.

"I need you, Liv. I can't do this anymore. I won't."

"Fitz, please. This is hard enough for me as it is."

"Then stop it." He stood in front of her now, so close they were touching. Liv closed her eyes feeling the urge to give in overwhelm her. He bent his head and kissed her and God help her she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back, momentarily losing her resolve. His hands went around her back pulling her closer to him.

It had been so long, but his embrace felt like coming home. Fitz slid a hand in the back of her neck. He wanted to pull her even closer, as if that were possible. She felt consumed by him, both physically and emotionally.

"Liv….come back to me."

She wanted that more than anything.

"We can't Fitz." She shook her head, reality setting in. "This is the way it has to be."

Fitz heard her words but he didn't want to accept them.

"I have to go." It took everything in her to walk away from him at that moment, so she did it quickly before she changed her mind.

Her business meeting went smoothly and quickly. For that she was grateful. She wasn't able to eat much of her food, she felt so queasy. Driving back to the office the feeling got even worse. As soon as she got upstairs she had to run to the bathroom to bring up the contents of her stomach.

She washed out her mouth with some water, putting the back of her hand up to her forehead. It was a little warm. She had had enough for today.

"Stephen, I think I'm going to go home for the rest of the day. Feels like I'm coming down with the flu."

"You're going to be okay to drive?"

"Yeah. I'll just go to the pharmacy and hopefully sleep this off."

"Ok. Feel better."

"Call me if you need me."

* * *

On her way home Liv stopped by a pharmacy and made a beeline for the flu medication. On a shelf opposite the Nyquil she glanced at a pregnancy test. Opening her mouth in shock she realized she had missed her period for this month. She hadn't seen it last month either, but she brushed it off thinking it was just the stress of leaving Fitz and on top of that she stopped taking her BC pills. There was no way she could be ….pregnant.

* * *

**7:45pm**

Fitz was in his private office drinking Chivas Regal Scotch Whiskey from an 'old fashioned' glass and slumped backwards in his chair. This was his second glass. He hadn't had a drink in several months, but he needed something to numb the pain of being so close to Liv today but still being apart from her.

She looked like an angel. An angel who'd come into his life, shown him what heaven was like, then left without a trace.

He hadn't seen or heard from her in two months. Not until Karen had gone to her office and he'd had the delight of talking to her on the phone for such a brief moment. That brief conversation had done nothing but fuel his desire to have her back in his life. He sent her that Mont Blanc pen set with the hopes that she would at least call him to say thank you but she hadn't. It was pure coincidence that they were at the same restaurant today, call it fate or chance.

The feeling of her in his arms…..he downed the rest of the scotch and began to pour another.

He felt pathetic, he felt like a loser, a boy pleading for favours from an unrequited love. He didn't care. He loved her, desperately, and there had to be some way to get her back. He was literally lost without her.

There was a knock on the door and for a moment Fitz didn't want to answer.

"Come in." He said finally and the new aide Amanda Tanner walked in.

"Amanda."

"Mr. President, these are the reports you're going to need tomorrow for the meeting with your National Security Advisor."

He stared at her as she spoke. She put the file on his desk and asked him if he was okay.

"I'm fine Amanda."

"You don't look like you're fine, Sir." She came round his desk to stand beside him. Fitz turned his chair toward her. "You look like you could use a friend." She reached out putting a hand on his shoulder. Fitz closed his eyes for a moment feeling her hand move from his shoulder to his arm.

What the fuck was she doing?

"I've noticed lately that you've been a bit down. I've been worried about you."

Fitz didn't know if it was the Scotch or just his need to be with Olivia but….

"Have you?" His tongue seemed to have disengaged itself from his brain. His voice didn't sound like his own.

"Yes, of course. Is there anything I can do?"

Fitz sat up in the chair putting the glass down on the desk and looked at her.

"What can you do? What can anyone possibly do?"

Amanda knelt before him and put her hand on the back of his neck. She tilted her head up to kiss him but Fitz turned his face causing her lips to collide with his cheek. He moved her hand from around his neck and held it.

What was she doing?

_What was he doing?_

He couldn't be this drunk, could he?

She extricated her hand from his and rubbed both of them up and down his thighs.

She moved her hand upwards towards his belt buckle and undid it. She quickly unzipped his pants and reached inside his boxers. Fitz had a sharp intake of breath as she held him in her hand.

"…..Amanda…."

They both looked at each other for a minute. It was almost like she was waiting for his permission to start. He didn't feel like himself. He knew he should put a stop to this, but he couldn't. He put a hand up on her shoulder and she slowly took him in her mouth.

Fitz grabbed a handful of her hair as she continued to suck at him. His brain was muddy from the alcohol and from his emotions over seeing Liv today.

Liv. Beautiful, sweet, the love of his life. His sweet baby. His eyes grew misty. His….

'….sweet baby." He murmured aloud.

Her movements were quick now and he felt close to coming. He grabbed onto the back of her neck thrusting upwards till he came inside her mouth and she swallowed every drop of him.

He immediately felt shame and disgust. At himself. How did he allow this to happen? Amanda got up from the ground holding her mouth and looking at him with what resembled remorse. Fitz hurriedly zipped up his pants and turned towards her getting up from his chair.

"'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"No….I'm sorry Mr. President."

He held up a hand to stop her from continuing. "Amanda….I need you to leave."

"Mr. President….."

"Please."

Fitz ran his hands through his hair wondering what the hell just happened. He sat down in his chair again pouring yet another glass of Scotch.

He felt like he had just betrayed Liv.

* * *

_**A/N So in this chapter we finally had the Fitz/Amanda encounter. This is how i imagine it could have happened. During Season One he never even acknolwedge Amanda no matter how many times Liv brought her up. Simply because it was a one off at a moment of weakness, he literally doesn't know anything about this girl and she doesn't matter to him one bit. I will admit to being disgusted writing this. For the life ofme could never fathom just what the hell Fitz saw in Amanda, it took me a while to get over him getting involved with her physcally. **__**I know many of you weren't happy with the Fitz/Mellie scene last chapter, hopefully you're not all hating me now. But i wanted to explore just how desperate Fitz was after Liv left and what drove him to do what he did. **_

_**There's also a possibilty that Liv might be pregnant! How will that impact the story in the near future?**_


	12. Rumor Has It

_**A/N I almost died reading the reviews for this one. First let me say a shout out to all the new readers of my story. Hello and Welcome aboard the Sweet Baby Train. I hope you'll enjoy the ride. OMG Neo, Real Camille, Queen Peach, JuicyJ, you slayed me with your reviews. Hope you enjoy the latest installment.**_

The next day Liv sat in Dr. Richardson's office waiting for him to return with test results of whether she was pregnant or not. She sat there, hoping and praying that she wasn't. She'd just started her firm, and she'd just left the White House. She needed to maintain her clean break from Fitz. A baby would only tie her to him forever, or 18 years at least. The ramifications of a child for a sitting President were just too much to wrap her head around right now. She couldn't be pregnant. She didn't want to be pregnant. She didn't have time to be pregnant or raise a child. Could she keep it if she was pregnant?

But this would be Fitz's baby. Could she get rid of Fitz's baby? Could she get rid of Fitz's baby without telling him? He would never forgive her, she thought.

No, it would be Fitz's baby. Maybe she could keep it. A part of him she could keep for herself. He didn't even have to know. Could she keep that a secret from him though?

She felt exhausted just thinking about it.

The door opened as Dr. Richardson walked in and she eyed him nervously as he walked in with her file in his hand whistling 'Sitting on the Dock of the Bay' by Otis Redding. He looked down on her and smiled.

"Congratulations, Olivia. According to these results, you are in fact pregnant."

Liv was stunned momentarily and every possible bad scenario that could stem from this ran through her head. She looked at him but said nothing.

"Judging from your last period I would say that you are approximately nine weeks along."

Liv thought back. That meant that it had to have happened the night she and Fitz made love in the Rose Garden. How could she be pregnant, she was on the pill.

"I know you've been on the pill Liv, and while it's one of the most effective methods of contraception, it can still happen." He saw her worried look.

"I know." She said nodding her head. She just didn't think it would happen to her.

"Well nine weeks is still enough time if you decided you didn't want to have the child and you just wanted to…."

"No! No I'm keeping it."

_She was keeping it?_ She thought. That didn't sound like it came from her mouth. She didn't hear much else of what he said. But he made her an appointment with an OB/GYN for a follow up and to discuss birth options.

She left Richardson's office, still a bit in shock. She was pregnant, and according to some inner maternal instinct, she was keeping it. She shook her head in disbelief.

She called Stephen telling him she wouldn't be in the office today and went home. Thank God she was picking up Laurie in the morning. She needed someone to talk to.

* * *

**FRIDAY EVENING**

She and Laurie sat in her living room. The kitchen counter was littered with two pizza boxes, a container of garlic bread and a half empty bottle of Shiraz.

Liv had her feet curled underneath her, a smile on her face while her sister sat opposite her sipping on her glass of the California Oak brand.

"This is good, Liv. I don't know why you don't have a glass. Where'd you get it?"

"I got it from Stephen when he came over last week."

"Oooooh. Is this Stephen from work?"

"Yes, why?"

"Is something going on between you and Stephen, Liv"

She laughed. "No. Stephen is engaged, we're just really good friends. Gosh Laurie."

"That man is sexy as hell; you can't blame me for hoping."

They both laughed together. "When are you going to pull yourself out of this self imposed life of celibacy?"

"Laurie."

"Don't 'Laurie' me, Liv. You're my sister. You're a beautiful woman, you're successful. You're a great catch. What is it? Our mother is getting more action than you."

"Ugh. Thank you. Now I'll never get that image out of my head." She grimaced and threw a cushion at her sister's head.

"I'm just saying….I just want you to be happy. A career is good and all, but in the end, you need something. You need someone to come home to." She looked at Liv, head cocked to one side. "You got something on your mind, you might as well tell me."

Liv smiled and shook her head. "No, I don't."

"Woman I know you. I know all your secret smiles. I know this weepy look on your face; I know you have something to tell me. You can't hide from me, acting all stoic. So just spill it."

"Laurie…."

"Is it bad?" She put her glass down and went to sit next to Liv. She put her arm around her shoulder.

"I….I'm pregnant."

"You are what?"

"I'm pregnant. I just found out yesterday."

"For who?!"

Liv didn't answer. She just shook her head. She'd never told anyone about her and Fitz. As close as she and Stephen were she couldn't tell him. It just wasn't something you could confide in someone. It was a secret no one could ever know because the consequences of it getting out could hurt too many people. It was a weight she had to bear alone. But now with the pregnancy it had suddenly become rather heavy.

"Liv….Liv who are you pregnant for?"

"I can't."

"Is he married? He's married isn't he? Liv nooooooooo."

"Laurie stop it. I feel bad enough as it is."

"So he_ is_ married! Oh my God."

"I'm a horrible person right?"

"No of course you're not. Don't get me wrong, you let yourself get involved in a horrible situation, but you're not a horrible person. Do you know what you want to do?"

"I'm going to keep it." _There it was again._

"So where's this guy? What's he got to say about it? Is he still in the picture?"

"No. I ended it."

"You don't sound too happy about that." She said squeezing Liv's shoulder. "Do you still love him?"

Liv didn't answer, but the look on Laurie's face told her everything she needed to know.

"Liv you know men seldom leave their wives. They usually stay n the most toxic relationships and just keep a mistress on the side."

She looked at Laurie then, hearing Mellie's voice in her mind.

"_**Don't fool yourself and think that this is more than just some torrid affair Olivia. Fitz knows what's important; and that's this country, his family and his career. Do you think he'd coerce you into having sex in illicit places if he really cared about you or respected you? "**_

"It was more than that." She said softly.

"Are you sure, honey?"

She remembered Fitz's words when she first told him she was leaving.

"_**You think that I don't value what you and I have? Olivia you mean everything to me. I've never loved anyone else….I've never loved anyone else but you, don't you know that? Don't you know me?"**_

"Laurie, I'm sure."

"Then if you two really love each other, why can't he simply divorce his wife and start over with you?"

"It's definitely not that simple." Liv got up from the chair, wishing right now she could have a glass of wine to calm her nerves. She knew Fitz loved her. She knew she loved him, but their relationship, their_ past_ relationship was never _simple_. Far from it. But Laurie wouldn't understand that, no one would.

She poured another glass of cranberry juice and looked for another slice of pizza she had no intention of really eating. Laurie followed her into the kitchen. As far as she was concerned the conversation wasn't over.

"It seems simple to me. If he loves you wouldn't he be happy about the pregnancy? Wouldn't he consider leaving his wife?"

"No, Laurie he wouldn't."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because he's the President!" The words rushed out before Liv could stop them. Laurie's mouth was open in shock and she leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Oh shit!"

* * *

Fitz shook his head in anger and disgust, and now increasing frustration.

A week of coy smiled and seductive looks was all he could take before he had asked Cyrus to reassign Amanda Tanner somewhere else.

"It appears she has ….somewhat of an infatuation…..a crush on me, Cyrus. It may be harmless but I don't want to do anything to encourage it. I'd rather you place her with someone else."

Cyrus had done as he requested and though Fitz felt a good amount of guilt over having her transferred he was relieved he didn't have to look at the constant reminder of his horrible lapse of judgment every day. He thought he'd be able to put the whole mess behind him, but three weeks later, according to Cyrus, Amanda was now circulating a rumor around the White House that the two of them were sleeping together. His simple 'lapse in judgment' was now becoming his worst nightmare.

He denied that anything had happened between them when Cyrus asked him about it.

"Well Mr. President we've never had any complaints about her, she has a clean work record here so if we decided to fire her it could look really bad and I don't want to risk her going to the press in retaliation.

"What do you suggest we do, Cy?"

"I think we should let a third party handle it. That way it would never be linked to you, to us when she leaves."

"Ok, good. Who do you have in mind?"

"Olivia Pope."

Fitz head jerked up looking at Cy.

"You want to bring Olivia in on this?" Fitz was sure about one thing; he didn't want Liv involved in this. He didn't want her to know anything about an alleged or real affair he might have had with anyone else. He wouldn't want her to think that he would be with someone else besides her. "Cy I don't know."

"She's the best person to handle it, Sir. We can both trust her to be discreet."

Cyrus was right. He knew Liv was more than capable to handle the situation. He simply didn't want her involved, but if he protested too much, Cyrus would begin to wonder why.

"Alright Cy. Give her a call and see what she says."

"I'll let you know later today, Sir."

"Thank you.

Fitz sat down at his desk, dread filling his mind. He thought of Liv and the last time he saw her at the restaurant. He shook his head and sighed.

She would never forgive him if she found out.


	13. All Fall Down

_**A/N This chapter takes place during the pilot episode of Scandal. To make sure i didn't plagiarize everything from the episode I changed a lot of dialogue, locations and people in certain scenes. I changed around a lot of things, and hopefully didn't mess it up too much. This one was kinda hard to write so hopefully it's not awful. Hope you enjoy.**_

It was shortly after 10am when Olivia got a call from Cyrus Beene saying that he wanted to see her. She hadn't heard from him since leaving the White House last year so she knew it had to be important.

An hour later she stood at the Reflection Pool by the Lincoln Memorial as he walked up beside her.

"Cyrus."

"Olivia. How've you been?"

"I've been very well Cyrus. But I know we're not here to play catch up. What's going on?"

"The President needs you to do him a favour."

"A favour…."

"Yes something of a delicate nature and he wants you to handle it." Liv looped her arm through Cy's.

"Let's walk." She said. "Cyrus, now you know I don't do favours, I have a business to run. What sort of 'favour' are we talking about?"

"There's a girl spreading rumors that they're sleeping together and we need you to take care of it, make sure she goes away."

"Is he sleeping with her?" she tried to sound casual, but in truth the idea that Fitz might have slept with someone else suddenly sent her into a panic. She couldn't let Cyrus see that.

"No, Liv. You know he'd never cheat on Mellie, he's not that type of person."

Liv stopped mid stride and turned to him, a confused look on her face. What kind of game was Cyrus playing at? She knew as Fitz's Chief of Staff there was nothing about Fitz he didn't know. He had to have known about her relationship with Fitz.

"Well I'll need to see him before I decide to do it."

"I'll arrange a meeting and get back to you."

"Ok." She walked off telling herself not to get upset. After all wasn't it just a few weeks ago that Fitz pleaded with her at The Grille to take him back? Surely he wouldn't have gotten involved with someone else?

* * *

Fitz sat in his office looking over some documents but not really seeing the words on the paper. Olivia was coming over to see him, Cyrus said and though it was under the worst circumstances he was excited to see her.

When she walked through the door of the Oval Office he got up and walked towards her. She looked even more breathtaking that when he'd seen her at the restaurant if that was even possible.

"Mr. President." She said smiling at him.

He shook her hand and smiled back but he saw in her eyes something that he couldn't quite place.

"Livi, it's so good to see you. Please sit down. "

"Cyrus tells me that you have something you need me to take care of."

Liv turned as Cyrus handed her a file and told her once again about the rumors that were being circulated. She looked at the photo of the girl and recognized her as the one who was at the Staff holiday party with Billy Chambers. They had looked cozy that night. Why would she claim that she slept with Fitz if something was going on between her and Billy?

She decided she would have to have a word with him later. See how things were between the two of them. Liv listened only half attentively to Cyrus as he explained what he wanted her to do. What she wanted to know, what she had to know was if the rumors were true. Had Fitz really slept with this girl?

She looked directly at Fitz and decided to just come out and ask.

"Mr. President, did you sleep with her?" she looked into his eyes hoping against hope that it wasn't true.

"No, Liv." He answered looking at her with love in his eyes. "You know there's only one person in my whole life I've ever loved. You know this isn't something that I'd do."

She instinctively put her hand on her stomach looking away. She managed a small smile then promised Cyrus she'd take care of it. She knew Fitz wanted to say more to her, to see her alone, but she left before he could suggest it. She wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

* * *

On her way back to her office she wondered about this girl.

Who was she?

Who were her parents?

When did she start working at the White House?

She needed answers.

As soon as she got back to work she went straight to Huck's office.

"Huck I need you to check up on someone for me. Her name is Amanda Tanner; get me everything you can on her including where she'll be this afternoon."

"I'm on it."

Liv sat on the couch in her office. There was something unsettling about the whole thing but she couldn't put her finger on what specifically. It wasn't that she didn't believe Fitz, but…why did this girl suddenly decide to claim they had been together?

She touched her stomach again. She was three months pregnant now, and though there was a slight bulge, she hadn't really started showing yet. For that she was grateful. She still wasn't sure how or if she was going to tell Fitz he was going to be a father again and she wasn't prepared to deal with any questions he'd definitely have if he'd seen a swelling midriff. She still hadn't wrapped her mind around becoming a mother herself.

Huck had the information she asked for in under an hour and she caught up with Amanda walking her dog by the Reflection Pool.

"Hi." She said sitting next to her and smiling. "Isn't the weather great today?"

"It's not so bad I guess."

"That's such a cute dog. What's his name?"

Amanda laughed then and shrugged. "Its kinda corny but I named him John Kennedy. After the president." Liv looked at her shrewdly. She was comfortable now and open, this was the time to move in for the kill.

"You know Amanda I have to say you were a fool to think that you could continue to spread lies about the President and get away with it."

"What are you talking about? How do you know me? Who are you?" she asked visibly startled.

"My name is Olivia Pope, Amanda and I want to clarify that I'm not working for anyone I just need to make you aware of a few things. You can pretty much kiss any type of political career goodbye because it would be very hard for you to find a job if you're caught in the middle of a sex scandal. Your credibility would be called into question and I'm sure you wouldn't want the press to find any of the 22 sexual partners you've had to give interviews on their experiences with you, including the one you got an STD from. That would be beyond embarrassing. I mean who would believe a girl who has a history of mental illness in the family, whose mother just recently recovered from a breakdown? I mean who would take you seriously Amanda? Who?"

She watched as tears started to fall from Amanda's eyes and she looked totally helpless.

"He told me he loved me." She whimpered almost pleading for Liv to believe her.

"Stop it Amanda."

"He did. He told me…."

"The lies have to stop Amanda before someone who's not as nice as I am comes along to make sure that you stop. I would suggest you leave D.C. Find a job elsewhere in a quiet city and start over. Forget about moving ahead in Washington. Those dreams are done, and so are you."

She watched as Amanda got up from beside her and stormed off. She let out a long breath feeling glad that it was over. She took her phone out of her coat pocket and dialed Cyrus' number.

"Cyrus Beene."

"Its handled, Cyrus."

* * *

**THE NEXT DAY**

**4:15pm**

Stephen stared at Liv across the table, empty plates in front of them. They were having a late lunch in a small Chinese restaurant across the street and he watched as Liv polished off the last of her Spring Roll.

"I haven't seen you this hungry in a while. The only thing left is for you to eat your plate."

Liv laughed at his teasing, but he was right. As of late her appetite had increased a bit, but seeing as she was pregnant, that was normal.

"Have you ever had to do something you were uncomfortable with but you did it anyway because someone was counting on you?"

"Are you kidding? Who had the nervous breakdown while defending a company accused of poisoning children?"

"Right." She said.

"We do things we're not always comfortable with every day. It's a part of the job."

"Stephen I'm pregnant." She blurted out.

"Is that related to your first question?" he said slowly after a short pause.

"No its not." She shook her head.

"I had no idea you were seeing anyone."

"I'm not."

"Then…."

His question was interrupted by someone calling her name.

"Ms. Pope! Ms. Pope I need to talk to you." She looked around to see Amanda Tanner walking towards their table a distraught look on her face. She got up and walked towards her.

"Amanda, what are you doing?"

"I want you to tell him I want to see him."

"I won't do that Amanda." She said ushering her out the door of the restaurant and onto the sidewalk. "That wouldn't be a good idea."

"Look I did what you asked me to do. I resigned and I quit my job. I just want to see him and I know you can tell him that." She started crying again.

"Amanda pull yourself together."

"I just want him to tell me that he loves me. I just want to hear him call me 'sweet baby' one more time."

Liv felt like she was slapped in the face. "What did you say?"

"He used to call me 'sweet baby'. I know if we could just see each other…..one last time. He…"

"Liv, what's going on?" asked Stephen behind her. "Who is that?" he asked as Amanda stormed off.

"No one." She replied grabbing her purse from him. They walked back over to the office.

She sat down and closed her door behind her.

Sweet Baby.

She sank down in her chair and stared at the photo of the two of them together.

Sweet Baby.

He lied to her.

How could he call her sweet baby?

How could she be so stupid to believe him? She believed him because she loved him. And she thought he loved her. Who was she kidding? He was a married man who used her for almost two years and then he moved on to the next female who was willing to distract him from his sham of a marriage.

The tears stung her eyes but she fought hard against them. She had to talk to him. Maybe Amanda was lying. She was reaching. There's no way she could have pulled that out of the air. She was going to see him.

"Stephen I have to step out." She informed him poking her head through his office door. Call me if you need anything."

* * *

By the time Liv got to the White House it was after 6pm. Mrs. Hanley told her that the President was about to go into a meeting with his National Security advisor and the press secretary but she insisted that it was an emergency. When Fitz learned that Liv came by to see him, he told Mrs. Hanley to let her in. Cyrus was in his office already.

"Liv." He said greeting her.

"Mr. President, I need a moment please." She said her eyes clear with unshed tears.

"Cyrus, do you mind leaving us, please." It was more an order than a request and Cy left the room.

Fitz took her inside his private office fearing the worst. He closed the door inviting her to sit, but she declined.

The air was thick with emotion. He wanted to pull her close.

"You called her 'sweet baby'?"

His head shot up and he felt a fresh wave of shame wash over him. She had found out, somehow he knew she would, though he had hoped against it.

"You called her sweet baby, Fitz. How could you?"

"I missed you, Liv…" he said coming closer, closing the gap between them.

"Don't lie to me." She snapped at him, and then continued when he didn't respond. "Just tell me one thing. Did I ever mean anything to you?"

"Liv, I love you so much." He stared down at her, feeling helpless.

"Then what happened?" Fitz saw the pain in her eyes, the tears she was fighting so hard and he felt awful knowing he was the cause of that. He hung his head down, not able to look at her.

"I missed you, I was lost without you, and she was here one night…"

"She was here one night and what Fitz?! "she asked raising her voice.

"Liv…." He couldn't give her an excuse. There was none truly to give. "I love you." He pleaded.

Liv reached up just then and slapped him hard across the face.

"You only love yourself! You're the most selfish person I ever met. Do you know what I did to her? I destroyed that poor girl Fitz because I believed you! And you lied to me! Something you swore you'd never do" she stalked towards the door fully intending to leave but Fitz put his arm around her pulling her towards his chest.

"Liv, please."

"Let me go." She said struggling against him, thinking of Mellie and the things she'd said to her. She was humiliated that day, and she felt the same way now.

"I can't. I'm sorry. Please, Liv." He was so close, his lips were against her face and Liv felt like she might lose it.

"Fitz please…." She didn't know if she was begging him to let her go or begging him to kiss her.

He did the latter, pressing his lips against hers softly. Fitz knew it wouldn't make up for what he did or how he lied, but he kissed her. He wanted to calm her down, in some way, he wanted to comfort her. it wasn't working. She stiffened in his arms; put her hands up in protest against his chest. He couldn't let her go. He couldn't let her leave and still be angry with him. He cupped her face in both hands pulling her closer, and just as he felt her begin to respond his office door opened.

"Mr. President, we need to start…."

He started at Cyrus' voice, and Liv used the opportunity to break free from his grasp. There was a moment of silence as Cyrus stood there stunned at the scene before him.

"We need to start the meeting Mr. President." He said looking at Liv, her face tear stained and looking devastated.

"Cyrus…please give me a moment." Fitz asked, angry that Cy had chosen that time to interrupt. One more minute and she might have considered forgiving him. He knew if she left he'd have a harder time getting her to see him again.

"No." Liv interrupted grabbing a piece of Kleenex from a box on his desk and dabbing at her face. "No, I'm leaving."

She left before any of them could stop her and drove straight home. She never wanted to see Fitz again.


	14. Confession

**8:35pm**

The Press Secretary along with Fitz's National Security Advisor both filed out of his office. Cyrus however, lingered on and Fitz knew why. He wanted to talk about Olivia and how he walked in on them earlier this evening. Fitz wasn't prepared to talk about it.

"We need to talk about it, Sir." He said calmly thrusting his hands into his pockets. No doubt every negative scenario was going through his mind right now.

"Cyrus we're not going to have this discussion."

"We need to talk about it sir. I need to know when this all started, I need to be prepared because clearly you're oblivious to the fact that there is about to be a huge shit storm ahead. I need to be prepared so I can do whatever I have to, to make sure this ship doesn't sink."

"Nothing's going to sink, Cyrus. Amanda's been taken care of."

Cyrus shook his head in disbelief. "Even if Amanda is no longer a problem, Liv definitely will be."

"She won't."

"Don't give me that. You're obviously having an affair with her and she's angry with you for sleeping with Amanda."

Fitz raised his hand at Cyrus in annoyance.

"We're not having an affair Cyrus, okay? It's over."

"I am not blind or naïve. What I walked in on today was something far from over. Liv is angry and she's hurt and she's not going to forgive you."

Fitz hoped with everything in his soul that Cyrus was wrong. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he had to win back her trust.

Since joining the Presidential campaign, Cyrus had been privy to a lot of personal things concerning Fitz. He knew he had 'political marriage' with Mel. He knew that theirs was no fairytale love affair. He knew everything about him, even some things that Mel didn't, but Fitz had never told Cyrus about Liv. She was the one thing he wanted to keep private. He wanted her for himself, to keep her in their own little world so it couldn't be destroyed by anyone else's opinions or comments but their own.

He knew that if he shared their relationship with Cyrus, he would find a way to taint it somehow, to paint it as something trashy, torrid, seedy, when it had been anything but that to him. Even now after Cyrus had walked in on them today, even now knowing that Liv probably hated him right now, he still didn't want to confide in Cyrus about her.

He sat on the edge of his desk while Cyrus regarded him with a look of disapproval on his face.

"I knew early on who I was supposed to be Cy. Growing up it was drilled into my head by my dad just about every damn day. _'**You're** **meant to be great, Fitzgerald. Don't you**_ **_forget it'_**. He would say. So I knew I had to walk a straight line. I hung out with the right people, joined the right clubs. Went to the right schools even married the right woman. I knew to get where I am now, I had to make sacrifices. But I love Olivia, like I have never loved any woman in my entire life. She wasn't a mistress to me. She's not the other woman. She is the love of my life. And I might have just lost her forever."

Cy let out a long breath. It was worse than he thought. If it had just been about sex between them, maybe Fitz would be able to forget about her and let her go. But hearing his confession of love for Olivia just now, he knew the road ahead was going to be rockier than ever.

* * *

"You. Are. Brilliant." Billy said, punctuating each word with a kiss. Amanda looked at him, his smile a mile wide. They were in his apartment on the couch. She told him about her visit to Olivia earlier and to say he was pleased was an understatement. She was glad to see him happy finally, but she felt incredibly uneasy about the whole thing.

"Now I've been feeding some information to a reporter for the D.C. Sun, he's going to do a story on you."

"What? Billy, no."

"Just relax. Once he does an initial expose it'll get some attention from bigger news outlets and we can shop your story around. We'll have to get you ready to do interviews."

She started to panic and turned to him. "Interviews for what? I don't want to talk to any press about this. It's not something I'm proud of doing. We set the man up, Billy."

"Amanda, the plan is simple, remember? The endgame is Sally Langston as the President of the United States. "

He walked around to the desk on the far side of the room and pulled a thumb drive out of the top drawer. "This recording is going to be the final nail in his coffin and we can say goodbye to President Fitzgerald Grant III once and for all. May he rest in peace.

* * *

**THREE DAYS LATER**

**7:00pm**

"Are you alright Liv?" It was late and Liv had stayed back to finish some work at the office. Everyone else had gone home except for Stephen.

"Stephen. Yes I'm fine." She lied, but what else could she do? She couldn't tell him that she was devastated over what Fitz had done. She couldn't tell him how much she was hurting right now, how confused she felt.

He shook his head and smiled. "No you're not." He sat down in front of her. "You've been carrying on as usual, but I can tell that you have a lot on your mind. Would it have anything to do with….the baby?"

He was the only member of her team she had told about her pregnancy. Eventually she had to tell them all. She knew he was curious about whom the father might be, but he would never pry.

"I know there are some things you won't talk about Liv, but I'm here if you need to…"

He didn't finish and both of them got up at the sound of pounding on the front office door.

Stephen had a puzzled look on his face recognizing Amanda Tanner's face outside. She was demanding to talk to Olivia.

"It's okay Stephen." Liv said leading her into her office. "Amanda what do you want?"

"I need to see him."

This was more than Liv could take. It was enough that she now knew that Fitz had been intimate with this girl; here she was for the second time asking her to arrange a meeting with him. She wanted to scream.

"Amanda, that wouldn't be appropriate. I won't do it."

"Please I just need to talk to him. He needs to know what's going on."

"Amanda give it up okay. The meeting's not going to happen. He's never going to meet you; he doesn't want to see you."

"But, he needs to know about…"

"Liv….is everything alright in here." Stephen walked in after hearing Amanda raise her voice.

"Its fine, Stephen. She was just leaving." Liv winced as suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen.

"Ms. Pope, you were wrong about me before. Let me talk to him. Things are about to get worse …."

"I think it's time you leave." Said Stephen and walked towards her.

Amanda got up and Stephen escorted her to the front door. Liv waited till she was gone and went straight to the bathroom. Another sharp pain hit her and she doubled over.

"Liv!" Stephen called after her.

She looked down in shock as a thin trail of blood made its way down her left leg.

"Stephen!"

He came barging through the door and she looked up at him, the pain showing on her face.

"I need you to take me to the hospital."

* * *

Two hours later Liv lay in a hospital bed resting, with Stephen keeping vigil by her side. She was given something for pain and they were keeping her over night to monitor her. So far the bleeding had stopped and they were waiting for test results to come back.

"Thank you Stephen."

"Think nothing of it. How are you feeling?"

"Better. But I'm worried about the baby." He saw the panic on her face and pulled his chair closer. He reached out to hold her hand and squeezed it.

"They're going to do everything they can, Liv. Try not to worry okay? We need you to relax. "

The doctor came in then and they both looked up.

"Your blood pressure is a little high as well as your glucose levels, so we're going to keep you overnight to try to get them down and monitor you."

"What about the test results?"

"We should have them back in another hour. In the mean time you should try to sleep."

"I need Laurie. Stephen can you call her for me?"

"I will but try to get to sleep." He walked into the hallway to call her sister.

Liv wished she could sleep. She thought about Fitz. What if the baby didn't survive? She still hadn't told him and with recent events she wasn't sure she was going to.

No.

As bad as things were, he still had a right to know. She reached for her cell phone and dialed Cyrus' number.

* * *

"Eight ball corner pocket Mr. President." Said Cyrus with a grin on his face. They were in The Game Room at the White House on the third floor and he was winning.

"Excuse me Mr. President but you're blocking me."

Fitz shook his head watching his chief of staff take aim at the ball when Cyrus' cell phone rang.

Cyrus picked it up annoyed that he was disturbed from claiming his victory. He loved beating Fitz at this game.

"Cyrus Beene." He said into the phone.

"Cyrus, its Liv."

"I'll be right back Mr. President." He said walking out into the corridor. "Liv, what's going on?"

"Cyrus I need to see him, tonight. "

"Olivia I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Cyrus, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't an emergency. Please."

"Okay come over I'll talk to him."

"No he has to come to me."

Cyrus started to protest, but she told him she was in the hospital. She conveniently left out the pregnancy part knowing he wouldn't react well to that piece of information.

Fitz walked back into the game room preparing to give Fitz the news.

"Mr. President…."

"I haven't touched anything, you can look for yourself."

"Mr. President that was Olivia. "

"What did she say?"

"She wants to see you. It's going to be difficult."

"How. Just tell her to come over."

"It's not that simple, sir."

"Why? What's happened?"

"She's in the hospital."

"What?!"

"She's in the hospital and she's asking for you. Sir this is a nightmare. If you're seen there, at this time of the night….if the press finds out."

Fitz didn't give a damn about that and he pulled his coat back on.

"Cyrus, do whatever you have to do. You have to get me there. I need to see her."

* * *

It had taken a lot of maneuvering and pulling a lot of strings but Cyrus was able to get Fitz discreetly into the hospital with a minimum of agents so no one would know the President was making a hospital visit this hour of the night.

He was taken to Liv's room and slipped quietly inside. She was covered up to her chest in a warm blanket and she was asleep. She looked so peaceful. On his way there he'd imagined every awful scenario. Cyrus had given him no information on her condition, all he knew was that she was in the hospital.

And she wasn't alone. A man was there with her, sleeping in the chair next to her bed holding her hand. Fitz wondered who he was. What did he mean to Liv and why was he here. He cleared his throat, and the man slowly opened his eyes.

Stephen got up from his chair stunned to see Fitz there.

"Mr. President. " He said softly letting go of Liv's hand. She started to stir. "I'm Stephen Finch."

Fitz shook his hand politely and stared down at Liv as she opened her eyes.

"Fitz." She said softly. Stephen raised an eyebrow at her use of the President's first name and excused himself.

Fitz sat next to her taking her hand in his own, and smoothed her hair from her forehead.

"Sweetheart its ok. I'm here. I'm not leaving."

"Thank you for coming." She said.

"Tell me what happened. Cyrus told me you were in the hospital, but he didn't give me any details. I was worried sick about you. I didn't know what to think."

"There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it baby?" He said stroking her brow.

"I'm pregnant."


	15. Come to Light

"I'm pregnant." Liv said. "And it's yours."

"How far along?" He asked.

"Three months."

Fitz felt a myriad of emotions all at once. He was happy at the idea of a possible baby with Liv, but he was also slightly angry that she hasn't chosen to tell him until now.

"You waited all this time to tell me? How long have you known?"

"A few weeks."

"You weren't planning on telling me were you?"

She turned her head away and shrugged.

"I thought about it, really thought about it. And I was going to tell you, right before this whole Amanda Tanner thing. And after I found out what happened between you two I decided against it."

Fitz felt hurt that she would keep something like this from him.

"So if you hadn't ended up in the hospital, I still would've never known." He said accusingly. "Is something wrong with the baby? Are you both okay?"

"I don't know. This evening at work, I started bleeding and I asked Stephen to bring me here. The doctors are doing tests, which were supposed to be ready hours ago. I'm still waiting for the results. My blood pressure was high he said, so they wanted to monitor me instead of sending me home."

"Who is Stephen, Liv? What does he mean to you? Are you seeing him?"

After everything that he was guilty of, Liv couldn't believe he had the nerve to be jealous. It was so ironic not to mention ridiculous. She had half a mind to mess with him.

"No, I'm not."

"Olivia…."

"I'm _not_ Fitz." She replied in an annoyed tone. "And after what you've done you really have no right to ask."

"What am I doing here then?"

"If God forbid the baby doesn't make it, then I wanted you to at least know that he/she existed." Her voice started to crack at the thought of losing the child.

Fitz wrapped her hand up in his and squeezed it tightly.

"And if it does? Where does that leave us?"

"Fitz…..there is no 'us' anymore. There isn't going to be an 'us' ever again."

"You don't mean that."

"I do Fitz. Technically I have no right to be angry with you about the whole Amanda thing; I'm not even your wife. But I can't say that it didn't hurt and that I wasn't devastated that you chose to …be with someone else. I just can't….."

"Liv, she doesn't mean anything to me. I don't even know her. Honestly. It happened and….I'm ashamed of it. I'm ashamed of myself. You may not be my wife, but you're the only woman who has my heart. You mean more to me than anyone. And right now I don't want anything else besides your forgiveness. Do you love me enough to forgive me, Liv?

Fitz watched as silent tears rolled down Olivia's face. He reached up and wiped them away softly.

"I'm so sorry Liv. Please don't shut me out of our baby's life. Please don't shut me out of yours."

She shook her head sadly.

"We're not going to have a fairytale ending Fitz. It's not all going to work out in the end. If the baby survives, I'm going to have it and I'm going to raise it alone. I don't want you to interfere, please."

"You can't ask me to do that."

"I _am_ asking you."

"I won't Olivia." He said shaking his head. "I won't give up on this baby and I won't give up on you. I know I did a stupid stupid thing, but I will make it up to you somehow. I promise you."

"Fitz…"

"I don't want you to upset yourself anymore than you already are. Let me go find the doctor." He started to get up.

"No. I don't want you to get involved in this. I don't want anyone finding out you could be the father, Fitz."

"Liv, I _am_ the father of this child. I'm already involved, there's no changing that."

Fitz eventually was able to reach the doctor. According to test results, the baby was going to be fine and Liv would be discharged in the morning, but she had to rest for a couple of weeks. She wasn't happy about being confined to a bed for such a long period but she was willing to do whatever it took to make sure the baby was okay. Fitz stayed for a while until more and more staff started showing up, then he left but not before promising that he would check on her when she got home.

Liv was touched by his concern, but she was still a long way away from forgiving him or allowing him to be a part of her life again. A part of her wished that she hadn't told him about the baby but she knew it was the right thing to do. The only question that plagued her now was where would they go from here? And she didn't have an answer right now.

0o0o0o

"Where've you been Fitz?" asked Mellie turning on the light as he quietly slipped into their bedroom.

He sighed heavily not thrilled at any form of confrontation tonight. She sat up in bed staring at him waiting for an answer.

"Mellie can we do this tomorrow? I am really not in the mood for one of your temper tantrums."

"I don't have to have one if your explanation for not being here is a good one."

"You know what Mel; I'm going to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom. Goodnight." He turned on his heel and walked out leaving her with her mouth wide open. He knew tomorrow she wouldn't be put off quite so easily.

He settled in the bed thinking of the night he spent with Liv in here. He remembered her telling him she loved him over and over. He would do anything to go back to that night, to have her underneath him, to be wrapped up in her arms and to hear her sweetly tell him she loved him. That was the last day he was truly happy. Since she'd gone he'd been nothing but a big ball of emotion. He was lost without her, literally lost. Practically floating on a cloud not knowing where he was going. Amanda was nothing more than a brief escape from the onslaught of emotions he was feeling. He wished that he could go back and do it differently

He wished Liv knew how much she really meant to him.

0o0o0o

Fitz sat in his office the next morning waiting for Liv to pick up the phone. He'd asked Mrs. Hanley for a secure line so he could find out how Liv was doing. He was finally about to give up when a male voice answered and said hello. He was taken aback at that and paused briefly.

"I'm sorry I must have the wrong number…"

"Are you looking for Liv?"

"Yes."

"She's in the room getting dressed; I'll go get her for you."

Why was Liv 'getting dressed' and why did this person have access to her bedroom? He thought.

"Hello?" Her voice came over the phone.

"Liv. I just wanted to check on you. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm good so far, Stephen brought me home."

He sighed heavily.

"Is there anything you need?"

"No. I'm good. If I need something Stephen will get it for me."

"I see."

"I'm sorry Fitz, but I'm a little tired, I think I'm going to get something to eat and go lie down for a bit."

"Right. Okay. I'll talk to you later then."

"Okay. Thanks for calling."

He stared at the receiver totally dumbfounded.

Mellie burst into his office just then, a look of determination on her face.

"I hope you don't think the conversation last night was over. Tell me where you were."

He decided to just tell her the truth.

"I went to see Liv."

"You what?!"

"I went to see Liv. She was admitted to the hospital. I had to see her."

"Why was she in the hospital?"

He closed his eyes and prepared himself for her reaction.

"She's pregnant. It's my baby." He said finally.

Fitz watched as the expression on Mellie's face changed from mild anger to absolute fury.

"You stupid son of a bitch!" She reached out and slapped him. She would have slapped him again but Fitz reached out grabbing both her hands.

"Mellie calm down."

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down! What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you just hell bent on destroying everything that we've worked for?!"

She struggled against him and he let her go.

"I'm so sick of dealing with you and your…I made sure she left last year and thought that was the end of it. Then you had to go and sleep with that little slut Amanda Tanner. Now you mean to tell me on top of that, I have to deal with your little bastard child now! I hope you told her to get an abortion."

"What do you mean you made sure she left last year?" Fitz asked, his voice low while he moved closer to her. "What did you do Mel?"

She stared at him, a lethal look in her eye. "I did what I had to do. To protect my family, my children and their father. I'd do it again if I had to."

"You were the one who made Liv leave?"

"Would you focus? What are you planning to do about the baby? Is she going to get rid of it?"

"She isn't and I don't want her to."

"Fitz, you have to think about this. You can't let her keep this baby. If the press found out about it, you'd never be able to stay in office. We'd have to go back to California to nothing! "

Fitz looked at her in total shock. He could not believe this was the woman he chose to marry, the mother of his children. Mellie had always been ambitious but now she seemed positively ruthless.

"Who are you Mellie? What kind of a woman are you? How could you do that to Liv?"

He wondered how long she knew about the two of them.

"Save me the sentimental crap okay? You better fix this Fitz. You fix it, or I will!"

With that she left his office slamming the door behind her.

0o0o0o

Karen walked through the corridors making her way to Fitz's office. She rounded a corner when she overheard Billy and Amanda talking. It was a heated conversation.

"I am getting so sick of you having second thoughts about this Amanda. You're either in or you're out. You already seduced the President and got him to sleep with you. All we have to do is tell them you're the woman on the tape and that'll be the end of his career. I don't see what the big deal is….."

Karen covered her mouth in shock and continued on to her father's office. What the hell was going on?


	16. Back and Forth

**_A/N Have to address how everyone was upset/asked why Fitz told Mellie about the baby. Yes it was stupid, but sometimes we say or do dumb things in the heat of the moment without thinking. And from season 1 we have seen that Fitz is guilty of doing dumb stuff so I didn't think it was totally out of character for him to do it. This part of the story has a lot going on. Hopefully I didn't stuff too much into one chapter. Once again thanks so much for the reviews and shout out to my friend who wants to sit in Tony's lap. *wink - You know who you are, LOL. Enjoy!_**

Fitz sat at his desk, mentally kicking himself. Telling Mel about the baby had been a colossal mistake. Just the thought of any threat to her position as First Lady seemed to have sent her off the deep end. Knowing that Mel was the one responsible for making Olivia leave made him realize that she was capable of doing whatever it took to keep her in the White House.

He decided to call in a favour.

Suddenly Karen burst into his office.

"Karen."

"Dad, we need to talk." She looked very upset as she walked towards him.

"What is it sweetheart?"

Karen had a lot to say, but actually getting the words out was a challenge. How do you tell your father that you know he had an affair with someone? How do you tell him that you know the person he had an affair with was involved in a plot to get him out of office? Would he even believe her?

"Dad I don't know even know how to say this….."

"Just say it sweetie. You know you can tell me anything. Come here." He said and pulled her onto his lap. "You know you're getting a little too big to sit on daddy's knee. This isn't about Gerry is it?"

She laughed and shook her head. "No, though I wish it was that simple."

"Sweetheart now you're starting to worry me. Now what is it?"

"I overheard a conversation today. It sounded like it was B…."

"Mr. President….."

Cyrus rushed into the room just then, an intense look on his face and what appeared to be a CD and some headphones in his hand.

"Cyrus what is it?"

"Karen…"

"Hi Cy."

"Mr. President I'm sorry but I have something very urgent I need to discuss with you."

"Dad, I really need to talk to you about this." Karen pleaded.

The look on Cyrus' face told Fitz that it was a matter of life or death. "I'm sorry honey, I'm gonna need to talk to Cy. But we'll finish this up later tonight, ok?"

"But dad…."

"Karen, we'll finish it later tonight, I promise."

"Ok, dad. Remember you promised."

Fitz smiled as she walked out then turned to Cy. "What's going on?"

"You need to listen to this. It's a recording that was mailed to me. I just got it this morning. "Cy handed him the headphones while he loaded the disc onto Fitz's computer. He watched as Fitz listened to it, first confused then in shock as he recognized that the recording was of him and Olivia. It was the first time they had made love almost two years ago during his campaign.

Who the hell had taped them making love and why had they just sent this now? He slowly took the headphones off, resting them on the desk.

"Cyrus this is….."

"It's you and Amanda isn't? It's the two of you moaning together, having sex, is what it is."

Fitz put a hand to his forehead. Who would benefit from a recording of him and Liv? He looked at Cyrus then, refusing to admit that it wasn't actually Amanda on the tape.

"This is a mess, Mr. President, that's what this is, a nightmare. Now I have to figure out how to fix this."

"Did anything else come with it? A note, a demand? Anything?"

"No. But you know what this means don't you? Amanda Tanner has definitely _not_ been taken care of. We need to find out where she is, and find out what the hell it is that she wants."

Fitz stared at Cy pretending to listen, but he knew that he really needed to talk to Liv. He didn't know how he'd tell her about this, she just got out of the hospital and she didn't need the stress. He had to have a solution to the problem before he spoke to her.

* * *

**12:45PM**

Liv got up from the sofa to open her front door. Stephen had gone to the airport to pick up her sister and drop her back to Liv's place.

"Well look at you, you're not even showing that much yet." Laurie exclaimed once she saw her and she put a hand to Liv's belly. "But I feel a little baby bump though." The two of them embraced and Stephen walked inside with Laurie's bags.

"Thanks so much Stephen. I hope she didn't talk you to death on the drive over." Liv said and smiled at her sister.

"Not at all. And you know I always enjoy the company of beautiful women."

Laurie put a hand on her chest and closed her eyes. "There you go. A man with charm _and_ an accent. It's a shame I'm married." She said shaking her head.

"Well you know Laurie I'm not married just yet."

"Ah, Stephen you can put those in the guest room." He went down the hallway laughing out loud.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Listen that man is gorgeous. I'm serious if I wasn't married…."

"Well ladies, I have to be heading back to the office. I have a very demanding boss and a lot of work to do." He kissed Liv on the cheek and said goodbye.

Laurie turned round to watch him leave.

"Swoon." She said and dramatically fell to the couch. She patted the seat beside her. "Come tell big sis, what's going on."

Laurie shook her head after hearing about the events of the last few days. "Do you really think that man is going to allow you to have his baby and not let him be a part of its life?"

"He says he wants to be. He says he still loves me and he wants to be with me."

"What do you want? And I don't want you to tell me the politically correct answer. I don't want you to tell me what you think is best for everyone. What do you really want Livi?"

"I still love him, Laurie. I wish I didn't. I wish he wasn't Mel's husband. I wish he wasn't the President. Even after everything that happened with Amanda Tanner, I still wish I could be with him. But I can't forgive him. At least not yet."

"Well there's no rush to forgive him, Livi. If he wants to get back in your good graces, then he has to earn your trust back. The most important thing now though is not you and him. It's your baby. And ultimately the decision rests with you, but personally I don't think you should keep him from his child, especially if he wants to be a part of its life. There are far too many children these days growing up not knowing who their father is or not having him around. And matter how good a mother is, she can't be a father no matter how much she tries to. I'm glad we had our daddy around growing up, God rest his soul."

Liv nodded and rested her head on Laurie's shoulder.

"I just want you to be okay. You're my only concern. Now I'll be here for a week to watch over you and wait on you hand and foot. I'm at your disposal. I just want you to be okay."

"Thank you, Laurie."

* * *

By the time Fitz got back to the residence that evening it was late. He was tired and welcomed the idea of a hot shower then heading straight to bed. He walked into Karen's bedroom but she was already asleep. He pulled the covers snugly over her and kissed her temple.

"Sorry I'm late, sweetie." He whispered and closed the door softly behind him. He wouldn't get to speak to her tomorrow either, he had to take a flight to New York and would be gone for a few days. Luckily for him his friend Peter Carmichael would be there on business and they scheduled a meeting. He had something he needed to discuss with him.

* * *

**THREE DAYS LATER**

"Thirty five million?" Asked Fitz and shook his head.

"Yep. That's what I'm pricing them at. And I know they will sell at that price." They were talking about the new condo development Pete was erecting in Manhattan. And apparently the going rate would be $35 million each.

"But we didn't come here to talk about me though. What's the favour you need Fitz?"

Fitz put his fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"I need you to look into something for me."

"Okay."

"Do you still use Alexei from time to time?"

Pete started at that. Alexei was only someone he used when he needed information on someone, rather when he needed dirt on someone. "Yes I do."

"I need you to contact him because I need his services."

"For what?"

"I need someone followed."

"Who exactly?"

"My wife."

"Mellie?" Asked Pete leaning closer.

"I want to know everything. Where she goes, who she sees, _everything_."

"What's going on Fitz?"

"That my friend is what I'm trying to find out."

Pete looked at his friend, his expression resolute. Fitz never asked for favours unless it was something he absolutely needed.

"I'll call him today."

"Thank you, Pete."

* * *

**TWO DAYS LATER**

Liv lay in bed in her room watching a romantic comedy, with a bowl of popcorn between her and Laurie. They were watching a romantic comedy and Liv rolled her eyes at the heroine.

"She's playing the typical damsel in distress. She needs to save herself instead of waiting around for the guy to do it."

Laurie was about to respond when there was a knock at the front door. "I'll get it." She said. "You just lay here with your cynical self. "

Laurie opened her door and was shocked at who she found there. She'd never met her in person, but standing at her sister's front door was the First Lady of the United States.

Mellie smiled at her. "I'm looking for Olivia Pope." She said.

"Sure. Hold on a minute, I'll get her for you." She opened the door to let her in.

Laurie walked back into the bedroom.

"The FLOTUS is here." She said, hands on her hips.

"What? What's she doing here?"

"She asked to see you. Do you want me to tell her you don't want to see her?"

"No. I'm coming out."

Both sisters walked back into the living room together eyeing Mellie who stood in the living room.

"Mellie."

"Liv, it's good to see you're doing well."

"Thank you. What can I do for you?"

Mellie looked at Laurie. "I was wondering if we could speak in private."

"No. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of her."

"What I have to say is somewhat of a delicate nature…."

"Whatever you have to say, say it in front of her, or don't say it at all. It's your choice."

"Fine. Fitz told me about the baby."

Olivia heard the words but couldn't believe it. She was immediately angry, but she didn't show it. Her sister's anger on the other hand, was quite evident on her face.

"He did, did he?"

"Yes he did."

"And what do you want?"

Mellie didn't speak right away, but just stared pointedly at Liv who guessed what she wanted to ask.

"You have to be kidding me. Get the hell out of my house."

"Olivia you can't have this baby, be reasonable. Fitz knows about it, so he's going to want to raise this child together with you. We had a deal; you were supposed to get out of his life. A baby is only going to tie you to him forever. Fitz has a chance to do some real good for this country, we both do. You owe…."

"I don't you owe you anything. I did what you asked and I left. Now I'm keeping this baby and if Fitz wants to be a part of the child's life that's between me and him. How dare you come here and even suggest….."

"Now Liv calm down." Said Laurie touching her arm, then turning to Mellie. "With all due respect ma'am, I don't care if you're the first, second or third lady, but you need to get the hell out. You're upsetting my sister and I will not allow that. If you an issue with your husband, I suggest you deal with him and leave my sister out of it. "

Laurie went to the front door and opened it. "Goodbye."

Mellie stared at Olivia, and then left in a huff.

Liv stormed into the bedroom and opened her closet.

"That man must really love you, Olivia."

"What?"

"For her to come here to your apartment and come at you like that….a woman knows if her husband doesn't want her anymore. She knows how much he loves you. She knows he'd be willing to give it all up for you. She is terrified, Liv. Wow. I want to meet him."

"Laurie…." She pulled out some beige slacks and matching jacket.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to see Fitz."

* * *

Olivia was led into Fitz's office an hour later. He was finishing up a meeting with Jeffrey Stevens the White House Press Secretary and Hillary Steinbeck his new Communications Director. He was happy to enter his office and meet her waiting for him.

"Livi, this is a surprise." He smiled at her.

"You told Mellie about the baby? Why Fitz?"

The look on his face asked how she knew that he told her.

"She came by my apartment to suggest I get rid of it."

"She did what? I'm sorry Liv. Trust me, it won't happen again." He was positively furious. Mellie had to be stopped. He thought of Pete then, wondering if he had any information for him yet.

Liv was outraged on the way over here and fully intended to give him a serious tongue lashing, but somehow looking at him in this moment all of her anger faded away. Damn these pregnancy emotions. Her head was all over the place.

"Fitz I am so tired of all this. How are we supposed to do this?"

"Livi…come here." He walked towards his private office and she followed.

They sat together on the leather couch and Fitz reached for her hand, grateful that she didn't move or protest.

"Mel told me that she was behind you leaving last year." Liv looked at him, and a huge part of her felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders that he finally knew the truth.

"I'm so sorry you were put in that position. I can't imagine how horrible that must have been for you to go through. I regret that you had to deal with that on your own. I really wish you had come to me and said something."

She shook her head. "There was nothing really you could do. Mellie knew, somehow she found out. There was no way I could stay knowing she'd be around watching every move we made. And I couldn't have ended things with you stayed here. It would've been too painful for the both of us."

"I could have been there for you. I could've …. There hasn't been a day since you left that I don't think about you. What do I do Liv? How can you turn my world upside down and then leave without a trace? How am I supposed to live without you?"

He pulled her close then, kissing her sweetly.

"I can't live without you, Liv." He pulled her close once more pressing his lips onto her and put a hand behind her neck. Liv started to respond, but stiffened in his arms as Amanda's face in her mind.

"Wait, Fitz…."

There was a quick knock on the door, then Karen came in closing it behind her.

"Dad I really need to talk to you. Hi, Liv."

"Karen, this really isn't a good time."

"No it's the perfect time, dad. The both of you need to hear this."


	17. One Step Closer

_**A/N Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter. Hope you guys enjoy this one.**_

Fitz looked at his daughter seeing the determined look on her face. He could see that she wouldn't be deterred from saying what she came to say. He walked towards her, put an arm around her shoulder and guided her to a chair opposite him and Liv.

"Okay honey. Go ahead."

"The other day right before I came to see you, I was walking through the hallway and I overheard a conversation." She paused as Liv smiled, no doubt remembering when Karen had told her about another conversation she had eavesdropped on. "It was Billy….."

"Billy Chambers?" Asked Fitz.

"Yes. And I don't know who he was talking to but they were arguing about the fact that she was not going along with their plan to set you up, dad."

Both Olivia and Fitz sat forward and Karen smiled, glad that she finally had their full attention.

"Apparently the girl was having second thoughts, but he said the plan was for her to seduce you and there was some tape or recording of you and this girl having sex that they were planning to use."

Liv stood to her feet. "Karen are you sure that's what you heard? That Fi…the President was being set up? "

"I'm positive. He said that it would end your career as president dad."

"Did he mention where this tape was?" Asked Liv.

"No he didn't say anything, I'm sorry."

Fitz looked at Liv. "Billy Chambers. I can't believe it."

"I'm telling you the truth dad."

"No don't misunderstand me sweetie, I believe you. I know you wouldn't lie about something like this. I'm just sorry I didn't make time to talk to you sooner. "Fitz pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight. "I love you sweetie. Thank you."

Karen looked up at him wondering how he was going to deal with it. "So what are you and Liv going to do about this?" She said looking at the both of them.

"Well we'll figure it out honey. But I need you to do something else for me. I need you to promise not to tell anyone else about this, you understand me? And I hate to ask you this but I have to. Please do not share this with your mother." The last thing he wanted to deal with was another colossal meltdown of Mellie's. Lately she seemed to be going off the deep end.

"I won't dad." She nodded her head while Olivia watched the exchange between the two, smiling.

Liv crossed her arms in front of her after Karen left and stared at Fitz, the realization of two facts suddenly hitting home. One, Billy Chambers had been secretly waiting for an opportunity to destroy Fitz's Presidency and Two; he hadn't actually sought out someone else to replace her after she left. She felt a little better knowing the latter piece of information.

She watched as Fitz walked towards his desk and pulled out a CD.

"I wasn't going to tell you about this until I came up with a solution on how to handle it. Karen's revelation is somewhat of a game changer now. You have to hear this." He said handing her a headset.

"What is it?" She asked, confused.

"Someone sent this to Cyrus the same day Karen overheard Billy in his office. It's a tape of me…..with..."

"No! Fitz, I really don't want to hear you having sex with someone else….." She protested and went to give the headset back to him.

"Olivia, you need to hear it." He started the audio and watched as Liv's facial expression went from apprehension, to shock and recognition as she realized that it was her and Fitz on the tape.

"Oh God, Fitz….that's us. And Cyrus had this? Does he know who it is?"

"No I didn't tell him. I didn't want him privy to our…."

She nodded her head and sat back down.

"Well we're gonna fix it. The first thing we have to do is find out where that tape is, are there any more copies and has he sent them out to anyone else."

"Do you think Sally's in on this?" He asked her.

"Honestly? No. Billy was a bulldog during the election. He fought hard to get Sally the nomination. It killed him that she had to accept your offer to be VP. He's looking at this as a way to redeem himself. If he had this two years ago, he's just been biding his time. I just wonder why he didn't use it until now."

"Well you can't tell from the tape who the woman was, all he had was voices. They needed a woman to be the voice."

"And that's where Amanda Tanner comes in."

Fitz reached out and held her hand. "Liv if the tape comes out…."

"It won't, Fitz. We won't let it. And If I know Billy, he's not going to have it too far away. It's either going to be in his office here or at home. I'm going to have someone check it out. You need to talk to Cyrus, tell him everything Karen heard. Act like business as usual, nothing's out of the ordinary. We don't want him to know that we're onto him."

Liv looked down at Fitz's hand on top of hers and sighed. Navigating this whole thing was going to be tricky. Suddenly she remembered Amanda's visit to her office.

"Amanda…Fitz she asked to see you."

"When?"

"Right before I was admitted to the hospital. She came to my office asking me to arrange a meeting with the two of you. She was adamant about it."

"Why would….."

"She told me that things were about to get worse for you. She just went on and on about having to tell you what was going on, but I was still so upset about …you being with her that I…I think she wanted to come clean. Remember Karen said the girl was having second thoughts…we need to find Amanda."

She got up from the couch and started for the door, but Fitz grabbed her arm.

"Liv wait…. "

"If I hadn't come to your room that night….we wouldn't be in this mess…." She said quietly.

"No." He said shaking his head and cupping her face in his hands. "I wouldn't ever take that night back, not even to win a thousand presidencies. I would do it all over again if I could, Liv." He bent his head and kissed her pulling her closer against him. "I'm going to make this up to you, I promise." He kissed her on the forehead and she left.

"…..right after we deal with Billy."

* * *

It was almost 7pm by the time Olivia got to her office. Abby and Harrison were gone for the day, but Huck was expecting her. She'd called him on her way over. She walked into his office and sat down in a chair next to him.

"Aren't you supposed to be on _vacation_?" He asked sarcastically.

"I am, but I missed you so much I had to come and see you."

He smiled in a way that said that he knew better. "What do you need?"

"Amanda Tanner, she used to work for the White House. I need you to find out where she's staying, I need to talk to her."

"Alright. Give me a few minutes."

"Thanks, I'll be in my office."

"Liv, what are you doing here?" She swung round at the sound of Stephen's voice behind her.

They walked together to her office.

"I needed Huck to take care of something for me."

"A case? I know it's not a case since you're supposed to be on bed rest for another three weeks. Which leads me to my next question. When are you going to tell the others that you're pregnant?"

"Probably when I come back, but this is very important and I have to take care of it."

"Liv…the night you were in hospital…." They hadn't had a chance to talk about Fitz coming to see her since she'd been released to go home but she knew he probably guessed already that she was carrying his child. "The situation is beyond complicated. It's literally impossible."

She sighed.

"Its gotten way more complicated." She said and as they sat down on her couch, she shared the details of Amanda Tanner and the sex tape, leaving out that it was her and Fitz that had actually been on it.

"Liv you can't do this. You're too closely involved and on top of that you're pregnant. May I remind you the last time you saw this girl you almost miscarried. You can't risk something like that happening again."

"As soon as Huck tells me where she is, I'm going to see her."

Stephen shook his head at her stubbornness.

"Well you're not going alone."

* * *

Liv's cell phone rang as she and Stephen walked into Amanda's apartment building. It was Laurie.

"Hello."

"Where are you? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She said smiling into the phone.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I am, I'm with Stephen."

"How…? Never mind we'll talk when you get home."

"You sure you want to do this?" Stephen asked as she hung up.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay. Let's do it."

* * *

**10PM**

Fitz had been in his private office for the past hour mentally going over the events of the day. Hindsight was truly 20/20. From day one Fitz had noticed that there was something off about Amanda. Her coy smiles, flirtatious looks, he'd chalked it up to a harmless crush at first. He thought nothing of it. Little did he know she was watching him and looking for the right opportunity to move in. The night she came into his office she said she had been noticing how sad he looked, and he was so stupid, so caught up in feeling sorry for himself he did the unthinkable.

Now Karen knew about it. His sweet innocent young girl was now aware of one of the most scandalously embarrassing moments of his life. He wondered what she must think of him. He had always tried to be a good role model to both her and Gerry. He wondered if her knowledge of his infidelity knocked him down a few pegs in her eyes.

He got up and went up to the residence on the second floor intending to go to bed. He heard the TV on in Karen's' room and opened the door. She lay on her belly, eyes glued to the screen.

"What are you watching?"

"Cartoon network."

"You still watching cartoons?"

"Dad I'm only 16. Of course I still watch 'em." She got up, turned the volume down on the TV and sat down. "What's up?"

He sat down on the bed beside her.

"Honey…how do you feel about all this? Finding out about….recent events…."

Karen looked at her dad sadly and bent her head. "Dad, I know….I've known for a while that things between you and mom are not….I know you two are not in love with each other. Gerry and I see things and we pick up on things, but we just don't discuss it with you guys. I know you love Olivia, but….."

"How did I end up in a compromising position with someone else?"

"Yes!"

Fitz put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "Honey, you're a bit too young to know it now, but when you get older you'll realize that the smartest man in the world can be capable of doing the stupidest things when he's unhappy. I have no excuse for my behavior, none. I acted foolishly instead of thinking. I did a really dumb thing. I brought this entire mess on myself. If it costs me my job then I only have myself to blame. But that doesn't matter to me. What matters is what you think of me right now. I'm sorry you had to find out the way that you did. Do you think less of your dad right now?"

"Dad, it won't stop me loving you, it won't. I was disappointed, I'll admit but….I forgive you."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me."

"Dad what about Olivia? What's going on between the two of you?"

"Your mother and I got married, we said vows to each other and we were committed to making a life together. We had you and Gerry and we did our best to raise you two in the right way. No, Mellie and I don't have…no matter how I feel for Olivia…."

"It's okay dad. Don't say anymore, I think I understand. And it's obviously embarrassing enough for you to try to explain it to me." She laughed then. "Go on, lemme finish watching my cartoons."

"Actually it's late and you need to get to bed." He said walking towards the door.

"I will. The show will be over soon."

"Good night, honey."

"Night, dad."

* * *

Fitz walked into the master bedroom pleased that he was able to clear things up with Karen, but now he had a bigger problem to deal with; Mellie.

"Jeffrey told me that Olivia came by to see you today." She said in a biting tone, sitting up in bed.

"Yes she did. What the hell were you thinking Mel, by going over there? Have you lost your mind?!"

"I told you to deal with it or I would Fitz."

"Let me make this crystal clear to you Mel. If you ever threaten Liv or go near her again, you will regret it. If I find out you've endangered my child in any way, so help me…"

"Don't make idle threats Fitz…!"

"I am not making threats Mel. That is a promise, do you hear me?! You thought you were in control of this family and you thought you could control me, but you were sadly mistaken!" He shrugged out of his coat and shirt and paused while heading for the bathroom.

"I've cancelled your public appearances for the next month."

"You did what?!" She said hopping out of bed.

"If I can't trust you to respect me and respect my wishes, then I can't trust you to represent me in front of the American people, Mellie. You're going to Camp David for a short vacation. You can leave this weekend. Take the kids if you want. Midterm is coming up next week, I'm sure they'd love to get away for a bit."

"You can't make me this do this."

He turned around giving her a look that was lethal. "Do not try to cross me, Mellie. I'm warning you."

Fitz stood under the shower, letting the hot warm run over his tired muscles. He looked forward to a few days without Mel around. During the next few days he and Liv needed to work to find the tape that Billy Chambers had. And he needed time to repair the breech between him and Olivia. They needed to figure out how they were going to raise this child and he needed to figure out how to get her back in his life.

Their brief kiss today gave him a little hope that she was more open to forgiving him, but he knew he had his work cut out for him. He didn't mind though. If it took forever, he was willing to wait. Just for her.


	18. Nostalgia

_**A/N Ok guys, sorry this update has taken me so long. I was watching the DNC all week and a friend came from out of town. I actually had a social life couple days outta this week which surprised me so I wasn't able to write. Hope you guys enjoy this latest installments. You know I live for your reviews so keep them coming. :-)**_

Mel reluctantly left for Camp David the following afternoon and Fitz let out a sigh of relief. The children were going to head out to spend a week with her on Tuesday and she had invited her mother and sister to join her for a while as well.

For all appearances she seemed to be cooperating with his plans. But Fitz knew Mellie well. She loved the spot light, she thrived on it and it wasn't in her nature to remain invisible for long. Sooner or later she would be chomping at the bit, insisting to be in the public eye once again.

Fitz shook his head sitting at his desk, wondering how he allowed himself to walk down this path. He wanted to be president, knew he was meant to be great, but he hadn't fully grasped the price he'd have to pay. He was tired of the arguments, confrontation, the constant battle for power between him and Mel. Sooner or later one of them would have to bend or break. He didn't want it to be him.

She was dumbstruck that for the first time since he'd been elected he'd used his Presidential power against her and cancelled her public appearances. He recalled a similar argument between the two of them during the campaign trail; it didn't end well then, either.

_**2007**_

"Damn it!" Fitz yelled throwing a coffee mug against the wall and watching it shatter into pieces on the ground. Mellie had just stormed out after their latest screaming match. She was angry that she had lost the battle of wills to Fitz this time and angrily left the room. Thankfully as far as Fitz knew, none of the other staffers from the campaign were at head quarters to hear it.

He turned around quickly as the door opened and shut behind him and saw Olivia leaning against it. She had a worried look on her face and he heard concern in her voice.

"Governor Grant is everything okay in here?" She looked at him, then at the broken mug on the floor, walking towards him.

He shook his head looking on the ground.

"Its fine, Liv. Just 'Grant vs. Grant' again. But don't worry, thought it might not look like it, I actually won this round." He bent over picking up the broken pieces of the mug, in haste and ended up cutting his thumb.

"Damn it." He swore again, wondering if anything worse could happen today.

Liv rushed over to him taking his hand into her own. She looked it over.

"It doesn't seem to be cut too bad. Come on let me clean it up for you." She looked up into his eyes so sweetly and innocently, he was tempted at this very moment to crush her against his body and kiss her senseless. It was what he wanted to do since the first moment he laid eyes on her. She was perfect in every way. She was assertive, brilliant, very articulate, not to mention beautiful. And he loved her fearlessness in the face of any situation. She was fighting with everything she had to get him elected and now she was offering to clean up a simple cut from a broken shard of ceramic.

They both got up and Fitz sat on the couch in the meeting room, while he watched her look around for a first aid kit. She found one and walked over to him sitting beside him.

"It's bleeding a little more." She said and applied pressure to it for a few minutes. Fitz's eyes were transfixed on her and she blushed under his gaze.

"You look like you know what you're doing." He said then trying to make her comfortable.

"It's nothing really. I had a cousin who used to live with my family when I was little; he was always active, whether it was sports or getting beat up on the playground after school. My mom always had to patch up something. I paid attention." She laughed and he smiled. It was such a beautiful sound.

"Where'd you grow up?" He asked.

"Brooklyn." She exclaimed her face lighting up and she used some iodine to clean his cut. "We grew up in Crown Heights, but my parents bought a house in Cobble Hill after I left for college and that's where my mom lives now. It was five of us, me and my parents, my older sister Lauryn and my baby brother Lyndon." He noticed the change in her voice when she mentioned her brother.

"Did something happen to him? Your brother, I mean?"

She nodded her head. "He died, car accident, when he was twelve. It took us a while to get over it."

"I'm sorry, Liv." She nodded again, but looking at her Fitz realized that she still wasn't 100% over it.

"Are you and Mellie going to be okay?" She'd just wrapped a bandage around his thumb .

"If you're wondering if we'll be able to keep up appearances as a happily married couple, don't worry. Nobody's more of a trooper than my wife. Publicly, the media will continue to think we're the perfect couple. Privately, I don't believe we're ever going to be okay."

He let out a sigh thinking of the perfect creature beside him. A huge part of him wanted to forget about his life and run away with her. "Have you ever gone down a road, made a choice, Liv and realized that it was the worst thing you could have done? What would you say if I told you that I have thought about you, every day from the day we first met? What would you say if I said I see in you everything that I could ever want in a woman and I wish I was free to have you as my own?"

Liv stared into his eyes and at that moment he knew she felt just as he did. She was falling in love with him as much as he was with her.

"What would you say, Liv?"

"Governor….."

"Liv….will there ever be a time when you see me as me? I just want to be Fitz to you."

"I…."

Liv didn't get to answer because just then Karen came through the door to tell him they were heading home and Mellie was looking for him. Liv, realizing she still held his hand, finally let go.

"Alright, sweetheart, I'm coming." He held her hand walking towards the door. He turned to Liv briefly holding up his bandaged hand and wiggled his thumb a bit.

"Thanks, Liv."

* * *

_**2AM**_

Liv lay in bed with her eyes open in the dark. Beside her she could hear the easy breath of her sister as she was deep in slumber. She envied her at this moment. She should be in slumber land herself right now. Instead she was up thinking about Fitz and Mellie and the startling revelation from Karen just the day before. She thought about the baby and the changes it would definitely bring after it was born.

She and Stephen had gone to see Amanda and she confessed to willingly seducing and setting up the President on Billy's insistence. It wasn't something she wanted to do, but she did it out of a sick twisted sense of love for him. She had waited till she saw that Fitz was vulnerable and she followed him to his office one night. She said he was drunk and she knew it was the right opportunity. She felt horrible afterwards, but because Billy had seemed so _'proud'_ of her she was going to go along with it.

Liv was disgusted by the whole tale. She couldn't believe that it was Billy who was behind something so heinous and downright evil. Amanda had said that as far as she knew there was only one copy of the recording and that Billy had it in a desk in his apartment. They just had to find a way to get into Billy's apartment and retrieve it.

There was no way that she'd let anyone ruin Fitz. She'd helped to make him who he was. She wouldn't allow anyone to hurt him, especially after knowing it was her on the tape with him. Especially because….she still loved him. As much as she tried to deny it she loved that man with all her heart. As much as she'd tried to get over him after she left, she still couldn't. She didn't know if she ever could.

_**2007**_

Liv's heart was racing and there was a smile on her face.

"What are you so happy about?" Asked Cyrus seeing her practically grinning to herself.

"Are you kidding, Cyrus? We are killing Sally Langston in the polls and looks like we're about to win Virginia now." She said but that wasn't the real source of her pleasure. Mellie had taken a plane to Detroit to do some campaigning there and that meant she would finally be able to see Fitz tonight. It had been over a month since they'd first been together and they hadn't had any time to be alone. She was dying for him and she knew he felt the same.

"We're going out to eat tonight. You coming with us?" He asked.

"No I'm beat, Cy. Plus we're starting early tomorrow morning, I need to rest."

"Such a workaholic. Even I know when it's time to play Liv." Liv smiled thinking of the playtime ahead of her tonight.

"I'll rest once he formally gets the nomination Cy." She said referring to Fitz. "But you guys enjoy yourselves."

Two hours later, Liv answered the knock at her room door and let Fitz inside. She shut the door behind him and put the top lock across it. She turned to look at him shyly.

"Hi." She said moving towards him.

"Hi." He said putting his hands around her waist and pressing his lips onto hers. She melted into him and put her arms around his neck. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, tasting her, sending shivers down her spine.

"I missed you." He said "I missed this." He led her over to the bed and sat down pulling her to stand between his legs. He unbuttoned her blouse, pulling the silky material off her torso, then sliding it down her arms, then to the floor. He undid her bra and freed her breasts. Liv played in his hair at the nape of his neck.

"Mmmmm." He moaned. "I love it when you do that." He kissed the space between her breasts softly, while he toyed with her nipples between his fingers. Liv leaned into him and he took one breast into his mouth sucking on it, his warm tongue creating patterns of pleasure all over her. he took the other nipple into his mouth, loving the taste of her, loving the feel of it on his tongue.

Liv threw her head back and moaned.

Fitz's hands found her pants zipper and he quickly removed the fabric. All that was left was her panties and he pulled them down so she could step out of them.

"You're beautiful." He said, trailing wet kisses across her belly. His hands were on her thighs, his fingers splayed across them. Liv was weak and she could feel herself getting wet underneath his touch. She wanted him badly.

"Fitz, I want you now."

"I know baby. Not yet. Just wait."

He got undressed and joined her on the bed, kissing her neck, her cheeks, plunging his tongue into her mouth while his hands roamed free over her body. Liv reached down holding his manhood in her hands, stroking it to full hardness and it was slick against her grip.

It was almost his undoing, as a wave of pleasure pierced through him. he moaned into her mouth, kissing her with a passion he had held in for too long. But still he didn't want to rush.

He took his lips off of hers as she protested.

"Fitz…"

"Not yet, baby." He said fighting to control his desire to be inside her right now. He lowered himself between her legs and lightly ran his tongue along the length of her. Liv let out a deep moan and arched her back as he continued the motion. She grabbed onto his curls as he gently blew on her clit. Fitz smiled knowing she was almost over the edge. He slowly slipped his tongue inside keeping it rigid and rubbed against her inner walls and he gently massaged her clit with his thumb. Liv started to tremble and her moans were little more than strangled gasps that she could barely contain.

She felt dizzy, drowning and she bucked against his mouth.

"Fitz….please."

"Do you want me?"

"Yes." She moaned helplessly.

"Tell me you want me."

"I want you, baby."

He ran the tip of his cock just at the opening, teasing and toying with her as she bucked against him. He was slick and wet in his own hand and she was writhing in anticipation.

He entered her deep and swift and she cried out grabbing onto him. She pushed upwards wrapping her legs high around his back, trying to pull him deeper inside.

"Fuck. You feel so good baby." Fitz put his hands underneath her pulling her closer to meet his thrusts. He felt lost within her and she moved underneath him returning his passion with her own. Liv put a hand across his face and a thumb into his mouth for him to suck.

He bent his head down and bit into her neck and she grabbed at his hair.

"Yeeeeeessssss…" she moaned.

Over and over he plunged into her with such force, with such need, with such abandon, till they were both lost together in passion and fulfillment. Breathless, panting, holding on to each other.

They lay together afterward, talking, laughing, and making love yet again.

* * *

Liv smiled and also remembered that the next day she had to wear quite a bit of concealer on her neck to hide a love bite Fitz had given her.

Liv turned at the sound of her cell phone ringing. She picked it up from the night stand and walked into the living room, not wanting to wake Laurie.

"Hello." She said quietly.

"Liv."

"Fitz."

"I hope I didn't wake you." His voice was deep, low, sleep tinged.

"No. I couldn't sleep. I was just thinking about you." She said after a pause. She sat on the couch and pulled the small throw blanket around her.

"You were? Funny, I was just thinking about _you_. I had to hear your voice."

"Where's Mellie?"

"She left for Camp David today."

Silence.

"Liv, I miss you. So much."

She could lie. She could say that he shouldn't say those things to her anymore. She could hang up the phone.

She couldn't.

"Fitz…I miss you too."

Fitz smiled. He was so happy to hear that.

"How's the baby?" he asked.

"According to the doctor's the baby's still doing well. He's still monitoring my blood pressure, but I should be able to go back to work in another two weeks. My sister is here with me but she's supposed to be leaving in two days. I'm going to miss her."

"That was nice of her. I wish I could meet her." Fitz was glad to hear that it was Lauryn staying with Liv and not Stephen. He breathed an inward sigh of relief.

"It's funny you should say that. She's been saying she wanted to meet you too. She was here the day Mellie came over. She was the one who told her to get out."

"Oh now I really want to meet her. Any woman that can stand up to Mel is welcome at the White House. Hell she's practically a super hero in my book." He said laughing. She missed the sound of his laughter. She missed him.

"Actually I do need to come and see you. I have some more info about Amanda that we need to discuss in person. I'll call Cyrus tomorrow to set it up. And we also need to talk about the baby."

"Yes we do."

"I'm glad you called, Fitz. Really."

"It's so good to just…."

"I know." Liv looked up as she saw Laurie amble into the living room and sit beside her. "I guess I better go and….try to get some sleep."

"You're right Liv. Take care. And call me tomorrow."

"I will."

"Who was that at almost 3am in the morning?" asked Laurie sleepily.

"It was the President." She replied matter of factly.

"What did he say?"

Liv smiled as it seemed that comment alone caused all sleep to leave her sister's voice.

"He just wanted to hear my voice."

"He did, did he?"

"Yes." She said laughing. "And he wants to meet you."

"Really?"

"Yes really." She replied.

"Well sis you better get ready. Because the President is about to fall in love with another Ms. Pope."

* * *

**_A/N I've moved the story to the M rated section of the story. I'm sure you can guess why. :-p_**


	19. Silver Lining

"May I remind you Cyrus Beene of my very hefty donations to the President's campaign?"

Arthur Benedict looked sternly at Cyrus as they sat on a park bench. His southern drawl emphasized in every syllable as he voiced his displeasure in the recent events involving Amanda Tanner.

"Now whether the President knows about my investments doesn't matter to me. I have a stake in his position and this legislation you guys are pushing right now. I can't afford for anything to derail him or throw him off course. What have you and your people done to get of this problem?"

"We tracked her down already; she lives in a condo over on 56th and Madison. She lives alone except for a golden retriever, that's about it. Her parents live in Michigan; she hasn't seen them in a while. Since she resigned she hasn't found work anywhere else yet."

"I'm still not hearing what I want to hear Cyrus. What are you doing to control the problem?"

"We're working on it, Artie." Cyrus replied impatiently. "There's some maneuvering to be done. If she disappears right now, it could implicate the President."

"Not if he knows nothing about it. Besides you, he's the only one aware of the girl right?"

"No. There's a third party we brought in initially to deal with her. She's privy to all the information as well."

Arthur reached into his pocket taking out a cigar, slowly lighting it up. He took a drag of it, then exhaled slowly. Cyrus was more than annoyed, now. he knew what was coming and Artie had a way of escalating the minutest problem very quickly when he was impatient. And right now he was impatient.

"Who is this third party?"

"Olivia Pope."

"Your protégé? The former Communications Director at the White House?" he said smiling, very surprised.

"Yes. "

"She shouldn't be a problem to take care of either Cy. If we have to." He looked Cyrus dead in the eye.

"You listen to me. You are not to harm Olivia Pope."

"I didn't say anything about harming her. I'm simply stating that I'm willing to deal with whatever obstacle is in our way."

Arthur got up, picked up his black hat from the bench and settled it atop his head. "You know what your problem is, Cyrus Beene? You're too damn sentimental for your own good." He patted Cyrus on the back and walked off, getting into the back of a black limo.

Cyrus watched as the car pulled off. He needed to neutralize Amanda before Artie did.

0o0o0o0o

"Your glucose levels have returned to normal. I'm very happy about that. But your blood pressure is still higher than I'd like it to be. You need to watch your stress Ms. Pope."

Liv eyed Stephen who'd gone with her to her appointment and smiled. Stress was a part of her daily life. Getting rid of it, would be no different than chopping off one of her limbs. And with thing being the way they were avoiding stress was virtually impossible right now.

"I have a stressful job Dr, that's going to be tricky."

"I don't care what you have to do. Gestational Hypertension can affect your baby's weight; it can even lead to premature labour. You have to take this seriously."

"Alright." She said nodding her head. "When do I know the baby's sex?"

"Not for another month and a half I'm afraid. Other than your BP, you're still doing well. You should start showing more in another couple of weeks."

"Thank you."

"Where to?" Asked Stephen after they were back in his car.

"Back home, to relax and rest. You heard the man, I've been ordered to 'de-stress'."

Liv looked at him sideways, when she realized he was staring at her.

"What? Aren't you going to start the car?"

"Liv….what do you plan to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. I mean about the fact that you're carrying the President's baby."

Of course he knew. He was there when Fitz came to see her in the hospital. There was no other reason for him to be there if he wasn't the baby's father.

"The whats, the whys, the hows…they haven't been fully figured out yet, but I'm working on it."

"_You're_ working on it?"

"Yes. I will figure it out."

"And how will _he_ fit into all this? You do realize that this is potentially….."

"….One big mess, yes I know. "

"Liv if this ever got out, you know the fallout you'll face? What people will call you? What they'll think and say about you? Bill Clinton was just as much to blame as Monica but she was literally destroyed after it was all over."

"it won't get out. It won't. And if….God forbid it does, I'm fully aware of what my life could turn into. I'm not concerned about people. I'm concerned about my family, mommy and Laurie…..and you."

"I know you, Liv. I've known you a long time. I consider you one of my best friends and I would never judge you. I know you're not the type of person to deliberately break up a marriage. He came to see you that night at the hospital without a full escort, endangering his life to see _you_. That speaks volumes of how he truly feels about you. Not to mention he looked like he wanted to gut me when he met me in your room holding your hand while you slept."

She laughed and shook her head picturing Fitz's scathing look.

"You're always gonna have me Liv. No matter what. You understand?"

"And how does Georgia feel about this? She's okay sharing you with me?"

"Are you kidding me? She's terribly jealous. I had to stop her from marching down to the office the other day. She swears we're having an affair of some sort."

"Little does she know its Laurie she has to worry about, not me."

Stephen laughed as he started the car.

0o0o0o0o

Fitz was a nervous wreck. He tapped a pen nervously on his desk awaiting Liv's arrival with her sister. He was so glad she'd called like she promised yesterday. He had cleared his afternoon appointment to make sure he was available to see her today. For some reason he felt like a potential groom going to meet his fiancé's family for the first time. It was ridiculous.

Mrs. Hanley knocked on the door just then and opened it to bring in Liv and her sister. Fitz looked in utter amazement as they both walked in. Laurie, though she was a little older, was the spitting image of Liv. She had a twinkle in her eye and Fitz wondered just what Liv had told her about him.

"Liv, it's so good to see you." He said walking over to them both. "Thank you Mrs. Hanley."

"Mr. President, I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Lauryn Pope-Williamson." Liv smiled as Fitz shook Laurie's hand. Instead of letting it go, he held it in both his hands and cast his killer smile towards her. And just like that, she was under the Grant spell. Fitz had an amazing ability to make someone feel like they were the only other person in the room with him.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you Lauryn." He said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir and please call me Laurie. All my friends do." She smiled back.

"Please have a seat. Livi's told me so much about her family. So many interesting stories, I'm glad to finally meet one of you. "

Laurie laughed at that. "Well we were so happy for her when she joined your presidential campaign, even more so when she came here to work at the White House."

"Now I hope you voted for me in the last election." Fitz teased, still smiling.

"Well you know our family has always voted Democrat, but Liv believed in you so much, she convinced us that you were the man we should support."

They both looked at her. "I did nothing of the sort." She protested.

"There she goes being modest again. She doesn't like to take the credit for anything. But that's always been Livi. She loves to push people, support them. Once she believes in someone or something, she's always been willing to fight for it no matter what. I admire that in her. I'm very proud of my baby sister."

Fitz smiled back at Laurie and decided that he really liked her.

"I'm very proud of her too. She's been invaluable here to us all, in more ways than one." He looked at Liv at that moment, his feelings for her in his eyes. it was a look not lost on Laurie.

"I'm not only proud of her, Mr. President, but I'm very protective of my sister. Especially now that, well you know. And I won't allow anything to happen to her or anyone to hurt her. I don't care who it is. "

"Laurie…." Liv put a hand on her arm.

"It's alright, Liv. She and I feel the same way. You can rest assured Laurie that I have made sure that the unfortunate incident that you both had to endure the other day doesn't happen again."

They spoke for another ten minutes before Cyrus came in along with an aide to the Social Secretary at the White House.

"Laurie this is Allison. She's going to give you a tour of the White House, get you some refreshments until we're done here. Again it was so great to meet you. I hope to see you again soon." He shook her hand again.

"Thank you, Mr. President." She looked briefly at Liv before leaving.

Cyrus sat down next to them on the couch, shaking his head.

"Tell me what you got, Liv."

Liv told them of Billy's plan, about the tape and how he planned to use it to discredit Fitz.

"This is a mess. And you're sure she's not willing to go to the press anymore. She's changed her mind?"

"From what she said, she doesn't want to, but I have a feeling that Billy wields a big influence on her. There's no telling what he could get her to do or say if he tries hard enough."

"So what do we do?" Fitz asked.

"How about we make her an offer to go away once we have the tape in our hands?"

"Do you think that'll work?"

"It's worth a shot. I'll deal with it."

"No, Liv, I don't want you seeing her again. It's too risky." Fitz said and Cyrus looked at him sharply.

"Who else then? Liv is the best person to deal with it right now. We can't be seen with her again, it'll be too risky for us. For you, Mr. President. "

"I will take care of it." Insisted Liv, looking at the both of them.

"When?"

"Tonight. And I'll call you Cyrus when I'm done."

"What about the tape?"

"I'll handle it."

"Good."

0o0o0o0o

"Liv, I don't want you near Amanda Tanner again. It's too risky for you and it's too risky for the baby. I won't allow it." Fitz said after they were alone and in his private office. Liv was touched by his concern.

"I won't go. I have people that'll take care of it for me. It'll be fine."

"I just want you to be safe. How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you?" she said touching his cheek.

"I'm good. Especially after seeing you. I really like your sister. She reminds me a lot of you."

"She's probably trying to pinch herself right now. She's just as glad to meet you, trust me."

"What have you told her?" he asked.

"Everything. Except the bit about Amanda Tanner. If I did, your meeting today would've been quite different."

Even though he'd hurt her, she still didn't want her sister to think less of him. She was like no other woman he'd ever met. He didn't deserve her.

"What about Amanda? How do you feel about everything after speaking to her?"

"It certainly puts things in a different perspective. Up until the moment I found out she wasn't lying about the two of you, I thought that I was the only woman you loved. I thought we were meant to be together, but just met each other at the wrong time. But after I knew, I felt as if I was nothing to you. I felt like I was nothing more than a mistress. Mellie said as much when she told me she knew about you and me. I didn't believe her then, but her words played over and over in my mind after I found out about Amanda. I was humiliated. I never wanted to see you again."

"What about now?"

"I won't say that I'm not still uncomfortable thinking about the two of you together, Fitz. But, after speaking to her I'm willing to forgive you."

Fitz knew there was still a long way to go, but he was overjoyed that they were finally headed in the right direction. He put his arms around her, holding her tight. His heart turned over when she returned the embrace and reached up to put her arms around his neck.

"I love you."

"I love you too Fitz." Liv whispered back and Fitz knew at this very moment what he needed to do. After everything was done with Amanda and them getting the tape back, he couldn't let Liv go again. He knew he couldn't carry on an affair with her while she raised their child alone and he only got to see them when he could break away or steal time. He knew with absolute certainty what he had to do. To say it would be difficult was an understatement.

He had to divorce Mellie.


	20. Boiling Point

It was late when Huck entered Billy Chambers' apartment over on Logan Circle. The apartment was dark and quiet with no one at home. Billy was otherwise occupied at the moment, attending a function hosted by the Vice President and wasn't expected home for another few hours at least.

Huck quickly looked around, getting acquainted with the layout of the room. According to Liv, Amanda had told her he kept the thumb drive in the top drawer of his desk. As far as she knew there were no other copies. Huck shook his head in amusement. Billy wasn't the blackmailing type obviously, else he would have known that one, you never keep the lone copy of blackmail evidence near you, and two, you always keep a back up copy. He walked over to the desk, finding the top drawer locked.

He reached into the small backpack he brought with him and recovered two small slim instruments from a zipper compartment. He angled them slowly into the grooves of the lock and played around with them for a while till it opened, finally allowing him access.

He rummaged through the drawer, taking out magazines, files and a set of keys, pushing them to the side. There in the far corner of the drawer all the way to the back he found two thumb drives. He connected them quickly, one after the other to a small tablet he brought with him, verifying which one he had to take.

The first one contained a list of files that he probably used to run VP Langston's' day to day business at the White House. The second one was a recording of a couple and one voice that was clearly the President's. He put both the tablet and drive into his backpack and left as silently and quickly as he came leaving nothing out of place.

He and Stephen had gone to Amanda's apartment earlier but she didn't answer the door. Liv had wanted to see her and talk, and she would be less than happy to hear that Amanda was nowhere to be found.

Sliding into his black Dodge Ram, he wondered briefly about going to check on her again. An uneasy feeling overcame him, and suddenly he felt compelled to go back to her apartment.

Pushing his foot on the gas, he pulled out of Logan Circle and headed into traffic. He glided his way through the lanes, going as close to the speed limit as possible. He felt as if something was wrong.

He pulled into the small community of apartments and parked close to the entrance. He entered her apartment building and headed quickly to the right. He got onto the elevator, pressing the number 4. He stared up as the elevator moved slowly; the ding of the bell at each floor seemed louder than the previous one. He knew something was wrong.

He got out on the 4th floor, looking in both directions, the hallways were clear, which was good. He didn't want to be seen. He made his way to Amanda's front door and knocked. After a few seconds without an answer he knocked one more time. More seconds ticked by and by now the silence was deafening.

He opened his backpack again, jimmying the lock till it surrendered and opened. With gloved hands he turned the doorknob and silently stepped inside. There was a light coming from the kitchen, the only source in the entire apartment right now. His feet made a soft sound on the carpet; he looked around slowly the hair on his arms standing on edge. He smelled, he felt…his eyes went to a dark shadow on the ground, there it was. He felt death.

Amanda was on the ground, her body not moving. She lay still on her back, her face contorted. He walked over to her and looked into her eyes. They were open, staring at nothing, one bullet hole between them and a single thin trail of blood drained from it. He reached out with two fingers and searched for a pulse on her neck. A force of habit really, because he knew she was dead from simply looking at her. By the looks of it she had been dead for several hours.

"Silencer." he said. This was professional, he estimated. He sighed, shaking his head. Whatever was on that thumb drive, Amanda had just died because of it. He contemplated whether or not he wanted to tell Liv that he found the drive. Should he give it to her? If the person who shot Amanda knew it was now in her possession, there's no telling what they'd try to do to her to obtain it.

He backed away from Amanda's body, made his way to the front door and left.

* * *

It had been more than three weeks since Fitz had had his meeting with Pete and he'd had no word from him. He wasn't worried; he knew Alexei was good at his job. If there was anyone who could find anything he could use against Mellie, it would be him. No he wasn't worried, he was beginning to feel annoyed that it was taking this long and he said as much to Pete when he called him.

"I don't understand what's the big hold up, Pete. You have to have something for me by now."

"Fitz he's got something for you, trust me. But we just have to verify a few things. I tell you this is…..this is huge Fitz."

Huge is what Fitz needed.

He knew with a certainty that he wanted a divorce from Mel, but also knew with the same amount of certainty that this would be no easy task. Difficult was mild to say the least. Mellie would not go quietly. He would have to make sure he had serious leverage to get her to do what he wanted. And all he wanted her to do was ultimately sign the divorce papers he planned to serve her with.

He didn't intend to leave her penniless. She was after all the mother of his children and they'd shared some good years together, before it all went south. No he wanted to make sure she was taken care of, but he didn't want anything standing between him and Olivia ever again.

Liv. He smiled at the thought of her today. It had felt so good to hold her once more. To have her throw her arms around him in return. There was nothing more than he wanted right now than to be there with her, raise their child together, and build a life together with her. He felt complete with her. She had become his world in such a short time and he desperately wanted to be with her.

After such a long time, he finally felt closer to true happiness. He felt as if he was on the verge of a breakthrough. He had to move fast though, because time like a great many things was not on his side.

* * *

Stephen shook his head in disbelief at the sight of Liv walking through his office door.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry the sign on the door says _**Pope**_ & Associates. I thought with my name being on the building and all I could come and go as I please."

"You know exactly what I mean Liv." He said as she sat down in front of him. "You're not due back to work for another week and a half. You're supposed to be resting."

"And you and Huck were supposed to get back to me last night. Funny how both of you forgot to call me and conveniently didn't answer your phones when I called _you_. What's the deal?"

"How's Laurie?"

"Just dropped her off at the airport. Came straight from there."

"She's gone already? I know you're going to miss her."

"Stop stalling. Tell me what's the deal, Stephen."

"We weren't able to find Amanda."

"What do you mean you didn't find her?"

"She wasn't at her apartment and she wasn't at Billy's."

"So what about the drive. Do you have that?"

"Liv, you really should be at home. Resting. Like the doctor said. Like you promised to, remember?"

"Stephen this is something I _**have**_ to take care of. You don't understand. I need that drive. Where's Huck, is he here?"

"He's in his office."

Liv got up without a word and walked out of Stephen's office. She found Huck at his desk and he looked up as he heard footsteps coming towards him.

"Liv. You're not due back for…"

"….I know, I k now. Did you get the drive?"

Huck nodded his head but didn't make eye contact right away. "Amanda Tanner is dead, Liv."

"She's what?" She said sliding into the chair next to him.

"She's dead. I got into her apartment, looking for her after I got the drive. She was on the floor …she's dead. I'm sure whoever did it was looking for this." He held up the drive and she reached for it, but he didn't hand it over. "I'm very concerned Olivia that whoever killed Amanda might come after you. I don't want to see you hurt."

"Does Stephen know?"

He shook his head. "I haven't told anyone."

Liv's felt her heart drop to her stomach. She immediately wondered if Cyrus had anything to do with it. She knew him well, knew how ruthless he could be. He wouldn't think twice about doing what was necessary to protect Fitz, but would he commit murder?

Maybe it was Billy. Maybe he figured since she didn't want to cooperate with him anymore she'd be a liability. She didn't have time for speculation. She needed answers and she needed facts.

"Can you find out who did it, Huck?"

"I'll look into it." He said, a dark look in his eyes.

"Huck, I'm going to need the drive. Trust me. I'll be alright. I just need the drive."

He reluctantly handed it to her and she put it into her purse. She got up and paused at the door.

"Thank you, Huck."

* * *

It was a week later and Fitz sat in his private office staring at the contents of a package Pete had sent to him. His shock and disbelief was evident as he stared at photographs, documents and other information that Mellie would be not only mortified but furious to know that he now possessed.

It was a bittersweet moment for him. He thought of his children. As much as Gerry liked and adored Liv, he loved his mother. He would never want to see her slighted in any way. And Karen, would she forgive him for divorcing Mellie no matter how much she knew he loved Liv? The last thing he wanted was for them to suffer. And if any part of this information got out, they would all suffer in one way or the next.

He got up from his desk and walked over to the window looking out across the White House lawn. Everything was about to change. But he knew he couldn't go on as he had been doing for the last 20 years.

He needed to go to Camp David.

* * *

**TWO DAYS LATER**

"Dad…" said Gerry rushing to greet his father. The two embraced and walked into the main Lodge together. "What are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to come see you guys. Where are the girls?" He asked referring to Mellie and Karen.

"They should be back soon. They went out for a ride about an hour ago. You hungry? Martha just fixed something; I was just about to grab a bite."

Fitz slipped out of his jacket and joined Gerry in the kitchen. They got their food then headed out to the back patio to enjoy their meal there. After Karen and Mellie got back the four of them sat there for a while, talking and catching up. He'd missed Karen and Gerry while they were away.

Mel seemed to have softened a little. The peaceful surroundings at Camp David were a good place to recuperate rest and find peace. Unfortunately what he had come to discuss with Mellie was guaranteed to disrupt whatever peace of mind she might have found here.

He quietly started undressing in their room later that night, and she sat on the bed looking at him wondering about the reason of his impromptu visit.

"Did you come here to tell me I'm now free to come back from my forced exile?" She asked quietly.

"From what Gerry's told me, you've been enjoying yourself while you were here. I thought you weren't ready to come back yet." He joked.

"Please. This place is driving me nuts. My mother won't be able to come out to Maryland till the end of next week. I'm sure you've used my absence to see as much of Olivia as you possibly could, but I'm ready to get out of here. What'd you come here for anyway?"

"I want a divorce Mel." He said quietly turning to look at her. "I already talked to my attorney and I'm going to have him draw up the papers."

She scoffed. "Are you crazy? We are _**not**_ getting a divorce." She got up from the bed and stood before him.

"I'm not fighting with you over this Mel. I'm done. I want out."

"So you can go be with your precious Olivia and your bastard child! Well there's no way I'm going to just go away quietly while you go and live happily ever after. We have work to do Fitz. Work that's more important than you living out your fairytale. So get your story book romance out of your head."

"You watch what you say about Olivia, Mel."

"How can you be sure it's even your baby? She's been gone from the White House how long? Has it never occurred to you she might have been with someone else?"

"She wasn't."

"How can you be sure?!" She was raising her voice now. "Because you trust her so much? Because of all the times you slept together, you think you mean something to her. She used you just like you used her. She's not the precious ball of virtue you think she is!"

"You are the last person to talk about virtue, when you've been sneaking around with Paul Mosley for the last 8 months!"

"What?!"

"Don't act all innocent and surprised Mellie, I know what you've been doing. "

"What the hell are you talking about? There's nothing going on between me and Paul Mosley! It's been over for….."

"Stop lying! You've been seeing him, and using your Literacy work as a cloak. You saw him last week as soon as you got here and I have proof. It's easy to cast judgment on me and Liv when no one knows about your own dirty deeds isn't it Mel?

Mellie was fuming, looking like she would explode at any minute.

"I said I don't want to fight."

"So I've been seeing him so what? At least I'm not pregnant."

He swung round to face her.

"No you're not. Not anymore. Because you got rid of it before you told Paul, didn't you Mel?"

"You bastard!" She lunged for him, getting ready to strike him, but Fitz reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Mel stop it!" she struggled against him and in an effort to get her to calm down they both fell down against the bed with her screaming at him to get off of her.

"Stop it Mel!"

Just then both kids came rushing into the room.

"Dad! What are you doing? Get off her!" Shouted Gerry. The both of them turned to see both Karen and Gerry standing over them. Gerry looked both angry and confused, while Karen had tears in her eyes. Fitz slowly let go of Mellie's arms and slid off the bed. Mellie sat up as Gerry put an arm around her shoulder.

"Mom are you alright?" He asked

"I'm fine Gerry. "

"Neither of you sound like you're fine. You were screaming the roof off. I think Hal was getting ready to come in here." Said Karen. Fitz walked toward her and hugged her.

"I'm sorry honey. We just….."

"We had a disagreement. We didn't know we were so loud. It's ok. Really it's fine. You both can go back to your rooms. We're fine." Said Mel, managing a weak smile for the both of them.

The two of them left reluctantly while Fitz and Mel stared at each other.

"I think you should sleep in the guest bedroom, Fitz. I can't stand to look at you right now."

"The feeling is mutual, Mel."


	21. Surrender

"So what did our mother say when you told her?" Laurie asked mischievously.

"Well of course she was happy, excited even, but she wanted to know who the father was." Replied Liv. "I just avoided the question. There's no way I can tell her about Fitz. I'm not sure she'd understand."

"Well eventually you're going to have to tell her something. If it's not going to be the truth, just get your story together."

"I know right? How's my nephew doing?"

"He joined the soccer team last week. Not sure he's liking it yet though, but he's going to stick with it till the end of the term then decide what he wants to do. Hold on, Liv."

She heard muffled voices, then giggling.

"Liv, I gotta go. Hubby wants some of my attention. Momma's gotta go take care of daddy."

"Oh God, please. I've got an image in my head now that I'll never get out. Go on. I'll talk to you later." She said laughing.

"Bye, Liv."

It had been almost two weeks since Liv had seen Fitz. There had been stories about him in the news. She saw that he'd gone to Camp David over the weekend for a short vacation with Mellie and the kids. She wondered about that. Wondered exactly what type of vacation, he and Mellie actually had.

Did he have a change of heart and….?

There was a knock on the door. She got out from under the covers looking at the clock on the nightstand.

**12AM**

"Who is it?" She asked.

"It's me."

Olivia shook her head in disbelief. It couldn't be Fitz. But that was his voice. She opened the door quickly looking up into his face.

"Liv." He said, his eyes pleading to let him inside.

"What are you doing here?" She asked stepping aside to let him in. "I thought you were in Camp David with Mellie.

"I came back two days ago." He said looking at her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you." Fitz walked towards her, a determined look in his eye. Liv was taken aback by what she saw. Before she could say anything, he reached out with one hand and pulled her against him. She looked up to see him bend his head down and press his lips onto hers. He reached in the back of her head deepening the kiss.

Liv was breathless. Her initial reaction was shock and she moved her hands to his chest to push him away but his grip remained firm. His tongue found its way against her mouth, seeking entry. Probing, reaching, until she opened her lips letting it pass to touch her own.

A current passed through her and suddenly fire was coursing through her veins. It had been so many months since they'd been together, ages it seemed and her body now seemed to awaken from a self imposed denial of being enveloped in passion with Fitz. His hands roamed across her back, lower to her waist, and then they rested on her butt, pulling her closer to him so she could feel his erection underneath his clothes.

He took his jacket off, letting it fall to the floor and walked backwards, never breaking the kiss, towards her bedroom. He sat on the bed, pulling her to stand between his legs. He pulled at the straps of her nightgown, quickly freeing her of the flimsy fabric, and then pulled her panties off.

"Fitz….."

Whatever words she was about to speak were lost as he sucked on one of her nipples feeling it harden under his tongue. He played with the other, squeezing it, flicking the balls of his fingertips against it. He grabbed her waist pulling her towards him forcefully and raked his teeth against the hardened bud in his mouth. Liv gasped at the strength of his grip and she held onto him as her legs felt weak.

He pulled her head downwards to meet his kiss again, while his other hand circled over her butt.

He kicked his shoes off and hurriedly took off his shirt casting it aside. He pulled her towards him and she straddled his thighs looking down at him in the darkness of the room.

"Sit on my face." He said, laying backwards on the bed and pulled her up by her wrists. Liv positioned herself above him and cried out as she lowered herself onto his waiting mouth.

Fitz slid his tongue over her folds, tasting her, torturing her, creating patterns and waves all over her opening. Liv let out a deep moan, and grabbed onto his hair. Her thighs began to tremble and she felt she would lose her balance.

He grabbed onto her hips pulling her closer as he continued to lick away, her breath and moans coming faster now. She ground her hips onto his mouth, twisting and bucking against him. He sucked on her folds and used his thumb to massage her clit.

Liv could feel herself close to coming. She grabbed onto Fitz's shoulder and he could feel the vibration of her orgasm on his tongue. He quickly got up, discarding his pants and underwear and entered her at the peak of her orgasm.

Liv was dizzy, drunk, felt as if she would pass out as Fitz stroked deep inside her, his thrusts matching the waves of orgasm that billowed over her. She grabbed onto his shoulders, moaning his name. Moaning her pleasure, speaking words that were incoherent to her own ears.

Fitz pulled at her thighs, motioning her to wrap her legs around him.

"You feel so good." He said and kissed her hard, desire dripping from his voice. Fitz felt her begin to tighten all around him. He could tell she was about to come again.

"Fitz…." She said groaning against his neck.

And in the next minute she was done, her head rocking from side to side, grabbing at his back, wrapping her legs tighter, pulling his release from him. And as he stroked deep for the last time, a low groan escaped him and he collapsed against her.

He raised his head up touching the side of her face and kissed her lips, her eyes, her cheeks, and finally her forehead. Then he kissed her lips again.

Liv realized in this very moment how much she had missed him. How much she needed him and how much she loved him. She didn't want to be separated from him again. From the moment he touched her tonight she knew that he had hurt just as much as she did. He had hated being separated from her; He had touched her with all the emotions he had been feeling since she left him last year. She was heartbroken to know he had felt so much pain.

Tears welled up in her eyes and began to fall as she reached up to touch his face, pressing her lips to his.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm so sorry Fitz."

"What is it sweetheart?" He asked.

"I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I left you. I just…."

"I'm so sorry I hurt _you_, Liv. I've been such a fool." He said wiping away her tears. "Do you forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me." She replied.

* * *

**2:45AM**

Liv stirred from her sleep and sat up in bed. There was light coming from the kitchen and she got up from the bed standing up on wobbly legs. She put a hand to her stomach, and walked out of the room.

Fitz stood bent over in the fridge pulling out some Swiss cheese, salami and a bottle of wine. Some crackers were on the counter.

Here was the President of the United States in her kitchen.

He was still naked and she stood there for a while admiring the sight before her eyes. The hardened muscles of his thighs, his chest and his stomach. He had such an amazing physique. She closed her eyes remembering how it felt to be underneath him just moments ago. She bit her lower lip looking at him.

Suddenly he smiled as he closed the fridge door.

"You like what you see Ms. Pope?" He walked over to her and planted a kiss on her lips. "I hope you don't mind me raiding your fridge. " He said pouring some wine into a glass. "You haven't been drinking this have you?"

"No, leftovers from when Laurie was here. Got the bottle from Stephen." She said and walked over to counter picking up a cracker and putting it in her mouth.

"Stephen?"

"Yeah." She said, picking up the tray he'd put together and walking into the living room with it.

"Liv….about Stephen…."

"What about him?"

"You haven't….I mean, have you….?"

She rolled her eyes at him and shook her head.

"Stephen and I are just very good friends, Fitz. We've known each other a long time and it's always been platonic. Besides, he's engaged and I couldn't be happier for him." She went quickly in the bedroom and came back with a sheet she draped over the couch.

Fitz let out a sigh of relief, and sat next to her on the sofa.

She sat nestled into his side while he fed her crackers and salami with cheese.

"This is actually very good." He said commenting on the wine and she nodded her head. "I don't think a little taste will hurt the baby, do you?" He dipped his finger into the glass, wet it and put it in her mouth. Liv sucked on it, running her tongue around it.

The simple motion was so sensual. He got hard.

He put the glass down on the table, and cupped her face in his hands, kissing her, squeezing her nipples. His lips found her neck, planting wet kisses there. He trailed his tongue to her earlobe, sucking at it, making her weak with desire again.

Fitz pulled her onto his lap, positioning her legs to straddle him. Liv put her arms around his neck while she slid herself down the full length of him. He pulled her hips towards him but when she started to buck he wouldn't let her move. He pushed up a little into her wanting to go deeper, but he held her still while he played with her breasts, kissing them, sucking at them, driving her wild.

Liv could feel him inside her, he was so snug against her walls, and he fit so right, she tingled on the inside. She squirmed on top of him wanting to move.

"Fitz….don't make me wait."

He threaded his hand through her hair pulling her head back to allow him access to her neck. She moaned at his wet mouth, his breath against her skin.

He pushed into her further still. It was torture for him not to move, making her keep still, yet it felt so good to just rest inside of her. She grabbed onto his hair, her whole body shaking now.

"Fitz …please….."

When she whimpered, the sound sent a shockwave through him and he grabbed onto her hips grinding them onto his cock. Liv started to move up and down, all around him, her walls tight, grabbing onto him. Fitz closed his eyes and tilted his head back, and Liv used the opportunity to kiss his neck seeking to administer some torture of her own.

Fitz moaned. Oh how he had missed the feel of her, being deep inside her. He was home.

She was bucking wildly now and both their breaths were coming quicker.

"Oh Livi!" Fitz moaned and he came just as she did, and he tightly pulled her to his chest pressing her against him.

"Oh!" Liv screamed. Fitz moved so that they were both lying on the couch with her on top of him.

"I love you." She said softly, running her hands over his chest.

"I love you too."

* * *

**4:00AM**

"You have to get going. The Press Corp is gonna be coming in soon." She said, but didn't want him to go.

"I know." He said pulling her closer to his chest. "It's not always going to be like this Liv. Things are going to have to change. I don't want to have to steal away at night to come and see you anymore."

"Well the situation being what it is, we don't have much of a choice."

He shook his head deciding to tell her what he planned to do. "I've told Mel I want a divorce. I've already contacted my attorney, and he's going to draw up the papers."

Liv turned around to face him. "What? Fitz are you crazy? No sitting president has ever had a divorce. This will be the end of your career."

"Liv I know I can do a lot of good in office. There's so much I want to do for the American people. But none of it matters if I can't have you with me. And I no longer want to be married to someone that I do not love."

"Fitz….."

"I want to be there for you, I want to be with you and our child. It's not going to be easy, but to me it'll be worth it in the end. I just need to know you're with me."

Liv heard the finality in his tone and realized that he wouldn't be talked out of it. She had to admit, being with him was what she'd wanted all along. Now it seemed like she was finally about to get her wish. She wanted to be happy, but for some reason she felt like she was waiting for the next shoe to drop.

"I am."

Fitz got up, and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. She watched him get dressed, put his shoes on. She got up and helped him with his tie like she did on the campaign trail not too long ago and she straightened his jacket.

He smiled down at her holding her close one last time.

"Good night Livi."

He bent his head and softly kissed her, lingering on her bottom lip.

"Goodbye, Mr. President.

* * *

_**A/N So i felt like we were overdue for a little sexy time with Liv and Fitz, so we got this chapter. I feel like the story is about to end soon. Before we do that we need to tie up the loose ends with Amanda's death, who is actually behind it and of course Billy deserves his comeuppance. Then we have the matter of the Grant divorce and the fallout Fitz will face because of this decision. And we also have to consider the Grant kids. I want to finish it all before the new Season starts so hopefully I end it all properly. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. :-)**_


	22. Puppet Master

"You jerk!" Karen screamed at Gerry as he jumped into the pool splashing water on her in the process. He emerged from the water laughing at her, before going below the surface again. She watched him swim a few more laps and sipped on her fruit punch. Today was their last day in Santa Barbara; they were headed back to D.C. in the morning. Karen missed the ranch already.

"What's the purpose of putting on a swimsuit if you're not planning on getting wet? Come on Karen. Get in the water." He said.

She did as he requested, but immediately set out to duck his head under for teasing her.

"Stop it." He yelled and threw water at her in retaliation. "Where's mom?"

"She went out for lunch with a friend."

"Something's going on with mom and dad Karen. I know it."

Karen had known for a long time that something was going on. She knew her parents weren't in love with each other, she just didn't realize until the other night, how much they seemed to despise one another.

She shrugged.

"Come on. They've always fought with each other, but the other night, it just went to a different level. "

"Mom was out of control." Said Karen.

"So was dad! I thought he was going to hit her."

"He would never do that Gerry!" She said shaking her head vehemently. "He's not like that at all. Didn't you hear her screaming at him?"

"He must have done something to make her upset."

"It just amazes me sometimes that we have the same parents. You got dad's looks, but you didn't get any of his brains, did you? Mom is not the saint you make her out to be."

"Neither is dad. He walks on water as far as you're concerned. You always take his side whenever they fight."

"Someone has to." She said glaring at him.

"It's been worse Karen. I mean they hardly speak to each other anymore. I overheard mom talking to Aunt Susan last week when we got here. She said dad forced her to come here and he cancelled all of her appearances for the whole month. He made her come here."

"Stop making it sound worse than it probably is. Besides, mom isn't a child. Even if daddy told her she had to come here, she wouldn't come if she didn't want to."

Gerry shook his head in disbelief at his sister. "Do you think they'll get a divorce?"

She hadn't wanted to think about that. She'd avoided thinking about it. She knew with all certainty that her father was in love with Olivia Pope. She also knew that Olivia loved her father equally. But Karen never imagined that her father would consider leaving her mother for Liv. She wanted her dad to be happy but the thought of their family being torn apart was terrifying.

Karen looked at her brother then, seeing that he was just as scared as she was. "I don't know, Gerry. I really don't know."

"What can we do?"

"There's nothing we can do. They'll have to decide what's best for them and what's best for us…..I hope."

* * *

"Thanks for coming, Mick. Please have a seat."

Michael Jacobs had been Fitz's attorney for the past fifteen years. He'd handled many transactions for him, and Mellie too on occasion. He'd been entrusted with the intimate details of Fitz's business dealings over the years. This particular task he'd been asked to handle two weeks prior would be the most tedious one yet. He stared at Fitz over wire rimmed glasses and passed him an envelope outlining his petition for divorce and the settlement he'd be offering to Mellie along with other stipulations he wanted added.

Fitz looked it over for a few minutes then closed the folder.

"Everything seems to be fine, but I want you to offer her another $500,000 if she agrees to sign it right away and doesn't contest."

A gray eyebrow shot up at that request, but Mick simply nodded his head. Apparently Fitz was determined to be rid of Mellie right away. As a man who handled more than his fair share of divorces, he knew from experience that most of them had been initiated by the wife. The ones that weren't, were usually by men who wanted to be rid of one wife to take up another shortly after. He wondered if Fitz fit into that category.

"Any particular reason for the rush, Mr. President?"

"Mick, let's just say that…"

The door to Fitz's office opened suddenly and Hal Williams walked in bending to whisper in the President's ear. Fitz nodded and wrapped up his meeting with Dan who promised to get back to him by the end of the week.

"Are you sure that's what Maitland said, Hal?"

"Yes sir. He said they both walked into the coffee shop about twenty minutes ago and they've been in there ever since."

"Well tell him to keep watching her. Tell him to make sure nothing happens to her, you understand?"

"Yes sir." Said Hal walking out."

Unbeknownst to her, or anyone else for that matter, Fitz had assigned two protective agents to watch Liv and follow her wherever she went. If she'd had any knowledge of it, he knew she wouldn't approve, in fact she'd be furious, but after Mel's threat and Amanda's disappearance he hadn't wanted to take any chances.

Now one of the agents was reporting that she'd gone and met with Billy all by herself. He deduced that she wanted to confront him. Why was she doing it alone, why didn't she take someone from her office with her? Better yet, why they hell was she seeing Billy at all? He was furious. And worried. Worried about Billy's reaction and what he might end up doing out of desperation. He hoped it ended up being a meeting and nothing more.

Hopefully if it escalated, Maitland and the other agent would be able to intervene in time. He didn't know what he'd do if anything happened to her.

* * *

Billy's knuckles were turning white because he was balling his hands into fists so hard. His sharp breathing in and out showing his anger at the words Olivia was speaking.

She'd found out. She'd found out about his plan. She'd found out about Amanda. That stupid twit had spilled it all and on top of that she'd told her about the recording, and then she'd disappeared. He hadn't spoken to her or seen her for two days, the same amount of time he hadn't been able to find the drive. She wasn't answering her phone and she hadn't been at her apartment. He couldn't believe she'd simply just taken off.

"Did you have her killed Billy?"

His head shot up. "What?"

"Don't act innocent. You knew she was backing out, you knew she was scared, so you had her killed."

"Amanda's dead?" He asked putting his hand over his mouth. "How do you know?"

Liv paused looking at him gauging his reaction to that revelation.

"If she's dead I had nothing to do with it." He denied. "Oh my God."

"If you didn't kill her, this ridiculous scheme you came up with surely was the cause of it. Hopefully the police can find out what happened to her, but here's what's going to happen to you. You're going to resign as Chief of Staff for Sally and you're going to leave Washington D.C."

"No. I won't. You can't link that drive to me. You can't prove where it came from."

"I can link it to you, Billy. You see your drive isn't the only recording I have. I also happen to have one of Amanda, confessing to everything the two of you had planned. Every detail is described." It was a lie, but Billy didn't know that.

"Now unless you want that tape to fall into some reporter's hands, I don't know, maybe the one you decided to give _**your**_ recording to, I suggest you resign as soon as possible."

"That man doesn't deserve to be President. Sally Langston would ….."

"…..would never approve of the way you handled all this. You think you were being the country's saviour? You were actually on the brink of tearing it apart, Billy."

"He used that girl and he just…..cast her aside."

"Billy..You _**sent **_her to sleep with him. You manipulated her into trapping him. You used that poor girl. You're the one who cast her aside."

"He's not the innocent one in all this. He did sleep with someone. During the campaign. He cheated on his wife. He needs to pay for that."

"Billy ….you….." He got up suddenly, pushing his chair out and headed for the door. Liv took out some money and put it on the table for the bill and quickly followed him outside.

He had walked a little distance towards the end of the curb and she stalked towards him, oblivious to a white truck that was headed straight towards her.

"Billy!" She cried out and he turned his head in her direction just in time to see the truck bound onto the sidewalk and hit her.

The impact sent her flying a few feet across the sidewalk and she hit her head twice before passing out.

Billy walked over, looking down at the blood oozing slowly from her forehead, across her cheek and down her face. The driver stumbled out, obviously drunk, holding his head in his hands and sat on the ground.

Someone was on their cell calling for the police and an ambulance, he listened to screams, terrified voices, gasps, astonished tones, and they all seemed to bleed together. His thoughts were racing, remembering what she'd said at the table. With her out of the picture, he wouldn't have to resign. He wouldn't have to leave Sally or the White House. Thanks to that drunk driver, he now had a second chance.

He looked down at Liv one more time, hearing the sounds of the ambulance careening towards them, turned and walked away.

* * *

"Ooooh." Said Laurie gripping her stomach. She and Dan were in the kitchen together talking while she was making lunch. He turned round and looked at her.

"What is it baby?"

"Something's wrong, Dan."

"What do you mean?" He asked walking towards her, feeling concerned.

"Something's' wrong, I don't know. I feel like something bad just happened."

* * *

Liv's breathing was ragged. She drifted in and out of consciousness as the paramedics loaded her into the back of an ambulance and worked on her. She felt the agonizing pain in her abdomen…her chest….

"….looks like her arm is broken."

Her arm hurt like hell, her head…..

"…my baby….please….."

"Ma'am! Ma'am, are you pregnant?"

"…please save my baby…"

"….her blood pressure's dropping…"

* * *

**7PM**

Arthur Benedict looked at his wife Christina across the table. She was rambling on about something that he really wasn't paying attention to yet again. She was a beautiful woman, but she also had the ability to talk about the most trivial things. It was an annoying trait he put up with because otherwise she was the best wife a man could have. And he should know he'd had four of them before her.

He picked at his steak, cutting it, putting a piece of it into his mouth and smiled at her.

"Mr. Benedict you have a phone call. It's Mr. Davis." Said Maryanne their housekeeper.

"Now Artie you know there are no calls during dinner time. You know that's our rule."

"Yes and I never break it honey you know that, but this one's important. I've been waiting for it all day. I won't be long, sugar." He said pressing a brief kiss on her forehead which seemed to appease her somewhat.

He walked into his study, picking up the line.

"Davis." He barked into the phone.

"It's done, sir."

"The both of them?" He asked impatiently.

"Yes. The Tanner woman and Ms. Pope. It's done."

"Thank you Davis. That's what I wanted to hear." He hung up the receiver and settled back into his chair for a minute. Ms. Tanner would no longer be around to say she'd slept with the President. And with Ms. Pope out of the picture, Fitz would have no reason to file for divorce. He smiled and walked back into the dining room.

"See honey, I told you I wouldn't be long."

* * *

**9:45PM**

"She doesn't look good, Stephen." Abby said as she walked out of Liv's room together. Abby sat next to him.

"Well at least she's resting." He answered and thought about the baby. His mind was racing.

"At least they arrested the son of a bitch who ran her over. He was tore up drunk at 12 in the afternoon." she said.

"Abby we need to go talk to David, see what he's got on this guy." Said Harrison, pulling his coat on. "Come on let's go."

"I'll stay here with her. You two can head out." Stephen said.

"You know this could be connected to the recording that Liv has." Huck said, his voice low.

"You really think someone intentionally did this to her?"

"I think it's not a theory we should rule out. I'm going to check up on this guy. See who his contacts are. Might pay him a visit later too."

"Ok, keep me updated." Stephen took out his phone and dialed Laurie's number. He hated to be the bearer of news like this.

* * *

Laurie was on edge the entire day. She couldn't eat, she couldn't think and she just had this feeling of dread over her. When her cell phone rang and she saw it was Stephen's number, her heart hammered in her chest.

She shakily said hello and listened in shock as Stephen told her what had happened. It wasn't until she hung up that she allowed the tears to fall.

* * *

Liv groggily opened her eyes; the light of the room seemed so blinding. She groaned rolling her head from side to side.

She let out a breath and Stephen came closer holding her hand. She tried to get up, but her whole body felt weak.

"Don't move, Liv."

"Stephen?"

"I'm here…"

"What happened?"

"You were hit, by a drunk driver. He's in custody now. But you have a broken arm and a gash on your forehead."

He pressed the alert for the nurse to come in and when she did he asked her to get the doctor.

"Stephen the baby. What….is the baby okay?" She started to sit up.

"Liv you have to calm down." He said putting his hands on her shoulders.

"No!" She said her voice getting louder. "No tell me Stephen." She said struggling against him."

The doctor came in just then. "Ms. Pope, you're awake. I need you lie back down Ms. Pope. You suffered a bit of head trauma and we need you to rest."

"Doctor please. Tell me what happened to my baby."

"I'm sorry Ms. Pope, but we weren't able to save it…" he went on to give an explanation of what happened, but she didn't hear anything. The tears were coming fast and she couldn't stop them.

"Stephen…" she sobbed brokenly and he rushed to hold her and comfort her as best as he could, but she was almost hysterical.

She tried to get out of the bed. All she could think was that she had to get out of here. She wanted to run; she wanted to go back to the night when Fitz came to her apartment. She wanted to rewind this nightmare she was trapped in because this couldn't be reality.

"We're going to have to give her something to calm down. I'll be right back." Said the doctor leaving the room.

"Liv….."

"No, no, no, no, no…..Stephen, no…." she lay like a baby in his arms who couldn't, wouldn't be comforted. And he helplessly rocked her back and forth smoothing her hair from her face and rubbing her back.

He watched the nurse come and slip something into Liv's IV. Pretty soon she would drift back into sleep.

"I'm so sorry, Liv. I'm so sorry." He said listening to Liv's sobs as they echoed in the room.

* * *

**10PM**

"Mr. President."

"Hal. I know we were supposed to talk hours ago. This day has just been the longest."

"Mr. President, Maitland said that Ms. Pope was taken to the hospital."

"What?!"

"She was hit by a drunk driver sir. The man was arrested and she was taken to the hospital. Besides that he couldn't get any other details."

"Hal, I need you to get Walker, Davidson, Maitland and Shepherd. I have to get to the hospital tonight. No formal escort do you hear me?"

"Yes sir."

Fitz sank into the sofa in his office holding his head in his hands and fearing the worst. He had to get to the hospital. He hoped it wasn't too late.


	23. Waterfall

**_A/N This chapter is pretty short because it's a transition chapter for me. Its mostly Olitz with some other sprinklings in there. Enjoy_**

* * *

Fitz was furious as he walked flanked by his Secret Service detail to the waiting sedan they had secured for him.

"How the hell did she end up being hit by a goddamn truck, Maitland?! Just what the hell were you and Walker doing at the time? "He said getting into the car and Maitland followed looking at him sheepishly as they started moving towards the hospital.

"Sir, we didn't make it to her in time. Walker had followed her out of the café but….."

"But nothing. You both royally screwed up. What about the truck? Why didn't you stop the truck?" Fitz was more than furious; he was also incredibly worried about Liv. He had no report on her condition. It was just like last time when she'd almost miscarried, when Cyrus didn't have any information to give. The agents had followed her to the hospital, but the nurses wouldn't tell them how she was doing.

"Well we weren't in our vehicle sir; we might have been able to intercept it if we were. Sir, short of shooting at the truck or the tires, there was nothing we could do."

"Are you trying to be a smart ass right now? You are killing me with the excuses. All I'm hearing is excuses. Excuses why you both failed to do your jobs today. I'm wondering now if I should have chosen you two to accompany me tonight. I might not make it home in one piece."

"Sir…."

"Stop, just stop. This is ….this is unacceptable. And it's more than a disappointment that I entrusted you to protect Ms. Pope and you let me down. Tomorrow morning I want both of you to take some time off. You'll be relieved of duties till I can stand the sight of you both again."

"Yes sir."

When Fitz got to Liv's room, she was asleep and Stephen was there sitting by her bedside. His heart broke at the sight of her. She had a cast on her left arm and bandages on her forehead. There were a few stitches on her right cheek and her eyes were puffy.

"How is she?" He asked Stephen.

"Not well I'm afraid. They had to sedate her, she was…"

Fitz put a hand over his mouth, nodding his head. "What'd they say about the baby?"

Stephen looked at Fitz, not being able to say the words, he just shook his head."

"Oh God." Whispered Fitz, closing his eyes. Stephen left the room, to wait outside and give them some privacy. Fitz sank into the chair next to her, sliding his fingers through hers. She looked so tiny and helpless. Almost like a little child lying in the bed.

He put his hand on her stomach, still flat and started to cry. He'd just learned about the child a little under a month, and now it was gone. He couldn't help thinking it was his fault. That it was a punishment for what he'd done to her. After everything she had been through, with Mellie and Amanda, trying to protect him from Billy, she didn't deserve this."

'I'm so sorry, Liv. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you…"

* * *

Jason Smith was home in the bathroom of his small apartment. His breath was uneven and his heart beat at a breakneck pace. Tears stung his eyes and they flowed freely down his face. He was seated in one of his dining chairs. No, he was restrained to his dining chair. His arms and legs bound with duct tape to its frame. He was naked and he was terrified. His head moved from side to side and he looked up at the two men who in turn stared back at him. The shorter one to his left held some thick towels in his hand and the one on the right had two large jugs of water in his. He shuddered thinking of what they were about to do.

He'd staggered home coming straight from the police station. The man who had hired him to run over Olivia Pope had pulled some strings to get him bail right away. He was supposed to go home, pack his things then disappear. But as soon as he walked through the door, he was knocked unconscious and when he came to, he was strapped to this chair.

He whimpered out a pathetic "Please…" which only served to elicit a smile from them both.

"Charlie, you ready to have some fun?" Asked Huck looking sideways at his mentor.

"Let's do it Huck."

* * *

Fitz sat with Liv for the next two hours refusing to move. He wanted to be there when she woke up. She stirred sometime after 1am and he bolted up in his chair.

"Stephen…?" She whispered brokenly, trying to open her eyes.

"He's right outside sweetheart, I'm here." She focused her gaze on Fitz. Soon as she saw him she reached for him and he held her in his arms.

She cried softly and he rocked her gently. "I'm sorry Fitz. I'm so sorry."

"Shhhhhhh…it's okay."

"No it's not. If I hadn't gone to see Billy…."

"Liv…shhhhh….it's gonna be okay. We're going to get through this together, okay honey?"

"The baby's gone Fitz. It's gone."

"I know, I know…." He wiped at the tears from her eyes as tears started to form in his own. He ached to see her like this but he knew he had to be strong for her. He kissed her gently then cupping her face in his hands and she leaned into him for support. Her sobs subsided a little and she put her arms around him.

"I love you. I'm not going anywhere, you understand. I'm here Liv. This isn't your fault."

She managed a weak smile. "Thank you for coming."

"Where else would I be? You're my world."

* * *

"…..and in other news in Washington D.C. earlier today Olivia Pope former White House communications Director and owner of Pope & Associates Crisis Management firm was run over today by a drunk driver. Sources report that she is currently in hospital in stable condition but…."

Mellie had been drifting into sleep when the news of Liv's accident came on the TV.

So, Liv was in the hospital and had been run over. If she knew her husband at all, and she did, he was most likely keeping vigil by her side in the hospital.

Well whether he wanted it or not, she was going home tomorrow.


	24. Resolute

Fitz stood gazing out the hospital window, the light of a new day spilling into the hospital room. He knew that soon he would have to leave, go back to the White House, but he didn't want to leave her. He took comfort in the fact that Stephen would be there and she wouldn't be by herself. He turned to look at her. She slept, nestled under the blanket; she looking so childlike and delicate. She would need him now, to support her, let her know everything would be alright. And more than ever, he would need her too.

He remembered the first time she'd told him about the baby. She had been so hurt and angry at him then. She didn't want him to have any part in its life or hers. Thinking back now, he couldn't say he could blame her for feeling the way she did. But he was grateful that she had changed her mind, grateful that she wanted them to have a fresh start.

That's what it had all meant to him, a fresh start, a clean slate and a new life together. Now he was terrified that things would change. He hoped that when she was finally settled and her emotions returned to normal she didn't push him away. He couldn't handle that again. He couldn't lose her all over again.

He sat down next to her, holding her hand, holding it close to his face.

"Liv." He whispered, smoothing her hair from her face. "I have to go baby." Her eyes were still closed. He got up slowly not wanting to wake her. He bent down and lightly brushed his lips against her forehead. It was then that she stirred. She opened her eyes to see him leaning over her. She reached up to touch his face.

"Don't go." She whispered.

He sighed. "I don't want to."

"Don't go Fitz, please." Her rational mind knew she was being unreasonable, but she asked him anyway pulling him closer and kissing him. Fitz groaned at the feel of her lips on his, torn between leaving her and going back to the White House. He wished with all his heart that he could stay but he knew he couldn't.

"I won't stay away long, I promise. Stephen is due back any minute. He says your mother and your sister are coming in later this evening. So you won't be alone." He kissed her neck, lingering there for a moment. "I won't stay away long, I promise you."

He kissed her one last time and reluctantly said goodbye.

* * *

Artie eyed Cyrus, an annoyed look on his face. He didn't like to be disturbed on Sunday mornings. Sunday mornings were family time. He spent them with his wife, having breakfast, watching television or having a relaxing moment in the solarium. He didn't talk business on Sunday mornings.

So when Cyrus called and told him he had to speak with him urgently this Sunday morning he was less than thrilled.

He waited patiently as Maryanne set up a tray of beignets, cookies and such that his wife had ordered for the both of them, politely pouring tea for him and coffee, black, for Cyrus and then left the room.

"You know my wife doesn't ask me for much, Cyrus. She's the only one of my wives who hasn't been a demanding, calculating bitch, which is why I genuinely love her and try to make her happy. She knows I'm a busy man, she knows my time is very valuable and she accepts that. All she asks is that during dinner time and on Sunday mornings there is no talk of, and no interruptions about business. I promised to give her that with no exceptions. This is the second time this week that I've had to break that promise and she's not happy."

Cyrus thought of James then, how he'd also asked Cyrus for Sundays to be their day to spend quality time together. He got to garden and James got to think that they could live like a normal couple. He hated gardening, in fact he detested it. So he could identify with Artie's need to placate his wife, even if he was just as much a workaholic as he himself was. Today however, he needed to discuss two pressing matters and he had to discuss them now.

"Now what do you want Cyrus?"

"I probably don't need to ask, but, Amanda Tanner's was found dead a few days ago. Did you have anything to do with that?"

"You're wasting my time, Cyrus. You were well aware that I had grown impatient waiting for you to deal with the situation weeks ago. Why are you really here?" He said picking up his cup of tea and taking a sip.

"Olivia Pope was run over yesterday and she's in the hospital. I have this nagging feeling in my gut that you somehow instigated that."

Artie offered a crooked smile. "You know Cyrus, for some reason you seem to be 'off your game' lately. Did you know that Ms. Pope was pregnant and that the President intends to divorce his wife? He's trying to be all noble and make an honest woman out of Ms. Pope, raise the child together. He's had meetings with his attorney twice in the last two weeks. Sadly after her _**accident**_, there _**is**_ no baby. Such a tragedy, really."

Cyrus sat there stunned. It seemed that Fitz was keeping things from him. It stung him that Fitz didn't trust him to share the news about Olivia. But he wouldn't let on to Artie that he didn't know.

"How did you find out?"

"I've got my ways, Cy. What's disappointing is that_** you**_ didn't know."

"I told you not to go near Olivia and you…"

"Cyrus, I did what had to be done which seems like more than you were willing to do."

"You almost killed her."

"It wasn't my intention to do that, but the desired goal was accomplished. There's no baby, she's not tied to the President anymore, and now she's no longer a threat. He has no need to go through with the divorce."

"Olivia was never a threat Artie. She's an ally. She's always been our ally. You've underestimated Fitz, Artie. But more importantly, you've underestimated me. Don't make any other moves unless you talk to me first you understand that? And you stay away from Olivia. If I find out you've been anywhere near her, you'll regret it. You may have your ways, Artie, but believe me, I have mine."

He stood up and walked towards the door intending to leave. "You know they don't call the President's Chief of Staff the 'power behind the throne' for nothing. You want to see your precious contracts go down the drain come September? Go ahead and cross me again, Artie."

* * *

"You totally cheated dad! It's the only way you beat me." Said Gerry rolling his eyes at Fitz who was celebrating his victory over him in their game of basketball. They were on their way back upstairs to the residence and Fitz grabbed him by the shoulders.

"You're just upset that your old man beat you. Didn't think I could still ball like that did you? I'm like Michael Jordan, nothing gets past me."

Gerry laughed. "You have got to be kidding me. You tower over me by how many inches?!"

"I'm not that much taller than you Gerry and height is no excuse." He said opening their front door and stepping into the living room. "You just don't have the…."

He stopped mid sentence as he saw that Mellie was back. She and Karen were in front of the TV. Gerry rushed over to give her a hug.

"Mel. When did you get in?"

"About an hour ago."

"Good to have you back." He said walking towards the bathroom. He stripped off his sweaty clothes and got into the shower.

When he got out of the bathroom she was there, sitting on the bed waiting for him.

He let out a long breath and got some clothes out, ignoring her.

"I heard about the accident on the news last night."

"Yes." He figured that was her reason for coming home. She knew how worried he'd be about Liv, and here she was to throw salt in the wound.

"How's she doing?"

"As best as can be expected."

"And what about the baby?"

Fitz didn't answer. Instead he turned around slowly and stared at her. After the events of the last couple of days if she said the wrong thing, he was sure his response wouldn't be a pleasant one.

"I'm sorry, Fitz."

"No you're not, Mel. You are _**not**_ sorry."

Fitz turned around and started to get dressed while Mellie was uncharacteristically quiet in the back of him. When she finally spoke her voice was barely above a whisper.

"You know when I first saw you all those years ago with Peter Carmichael at that stupid fraternity dance there was something about you. I knew right there and then you were the man I was going to marry. But you took so damn long to ask me out. It was like you were…..I don't know, scared or …..it could've been you were so distracted by Heather Peterson." She laughed a little. "And after we were together for a few years, you…you asked me to marry you. And I was so happy. I was happy because I loved you and I wanted to be your wife. I knew we would go places together. I knew we would do important things together. And we did. We had two beautiful children. We built a life together Fitz. You may think me cold, heartless and cutthroat even, but…everything I've done, every decision I've made, everything I've done has been because I wanted what was best for _**our**_ family. "

He turned around then and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. For the first time in a long time she looked vulnerable. She looked honest, and she looked full of regret.

"Mel….."

"I don't know what happened, or…..when you stopped loving me. It _**hurt**_ Fitz, to know that…you fell in love with someone else, that you got another woman pregnant, so no… I'm not sorry she lost the baby. Because of that baby you were thinking of getting a divorce. So maybe now that…the baby's gone, you'll change your mind."

Fitz couldn't deny that her words seemed heartfelt. But after what he found out about her and Paul Mosley he also found her words terribly hypocritical. The demise of their marriage didn't lie solely at his feet. He was sure of that. Maybe if she'd been this way with him in their marriage more, if she'd been open, honest, things would've have been different.

"Mel….I'm sorry I hurt you. Truly, I am sorry. But you hurt me. Every time you were cold to me, you hurt me. Every time you chose what it would take to gain more influence over me, you hurt me. Every time you loved where being with me could take you over just _**being with me**_, you hurt me. I didn't plan to ….I didn't plan to fall in love with someone else. I honestly didn't. But I love Olivia. And yes, the baby's gone, but I still plan to go through with the divorce."

"What about Gerry and Karen? They're your family. _**We're**_ your family, Fitz. What are we supposed to do?" She whispered brokenly as tears started to fall down her cheeks.

"They're going to be hurt for a really long time." He said quietly nodding his head. "They may even hate me for a really long time. And I'm going to have to live with that for the rest of my life. But I can't do this anymore. I won't Mel. I'm sorry."

* * *

_**Don't go.**_

_**Don't go Fitz. Please.**_

Liv's pleas echoed in Fitz's mind as sat in the game room on the third floor. He wanted nothing more than to be near her now, to hold her in his arms and be there for her. He called the switchboard to request a secure line and dialed her cell number. After the third ring someone answered.

"Hello?"

"Liv?"

"No. No it's Laurie." She answered.

"Laurie, it's…"

"I know who it is. Hold on a minute. Mom I'll be back in a minute." She excused herself and for a moment the phone was muffled as she walked into the hallway and saw down in one of the chairs by the window. "Sorry about that. I didn't want to talk around my mother."

Fitz smiled. "How is she?"

"She's asleep. With the medication they've been giving her she's been in and out mostly during the day. Which is good I guess because whenever she's awake all she talks about is the baby and she's not taking the loss well. I don't understand what….with all due respect sir, what the hell happened to my sister? When I left she was fine, I talked to her and it seemed like…I'm sorry, I'm just so…..worried about her."

"So am I, Laurie. I really want to be there right now."

"She keeps asking for you…whenever she wakes up. She's not going to like that she missed your call." She grinned a bit.

"What are the doctors saying? When can she go home?"

"They're thinking of discharging her tomorrow, if her doctor is satisfied with her progress. Mom and I plan to stay with her for a few days, but…."

"But what?"

"I'm gonna try to convince her to come back to Brooklyn with us for a couple of weeks. I think a change of scenery would do her good."

That was not what Fitz wanted to hear. He needed Liv and he needed her to be close by. He'd already spent so much time apart from her when she'd left the White House, he didn't want to be away from her again, now that he'd just gotten her back. He hoped to see her and convince her to stay.

"If she needs anything, Laurie, just….."

"The only thing I think she needs right now is you….I'm sorry. That's not my place….I have to go….I'll tell her you called, sir."

"Thank you, Laurie."

* * *

Huck stared at the photograph in front of him for a few seconds, and then passed it to Charlie.

"Arthur Benedict."

Charlie nodded. "Are we paying him a visit?"

Huck smiled diabolically and nodded his head. "He lives in Upper Marlboro, Maryland with his wife. Big house."

"Sounds interesting."

"Could be."

"Well first things first. Let's get something to eat. Jason Smith made me hungry and you know I never liked to go hunting on an empty stomach, Huck."


	25. Alone Together

**_A/N So after Fitz's conversation with Laurie, he decided to pay Liv a visit in the hospital after all. Thanks for the reviews. Hope you like this one. _**

Liv woke up sometime around midnight. There was a soft light coming through the window and all she could hear was the humming of the air conditioner and the few medical staff that were working the graveyard shift walking through the halls.

She pressed the button on the side of the bed to bring it up so she'd be in a seated position. Laurie and her mom had gone back to her place a couple hours ago right before she drifted off to sleep again so she was all by herself.

The doctor has insisted she be kept medicated so she was drowsy all day for the most part and kept sleeping on and off. Her arm had initially hurt terribly when she'd first been admitted. Now thankfully the pain had turned into a dull ebb that wasn't too much for her to bear.

She had been glad that her mother had come with her sister. She hadn't seen her since Christmas and it was refreshing to be surrounded by family now. She'd cried at the sight of her, lying in bed, bandaged up and looking helpless. Liv felt as if she'd been reduced to a twelve year old child once again but she didn't mind. She enjoyed being fussed over.

Abby and Harrison had both been to see her earlier too, bringing her a gift basket with all her favourites; green tea, fresh fruit and the crackers and salami that she liked. Neither of them knew she was pregnant so neither of them knew she'd suffered a miscarriage. Now that the baby was gone, it didn't seem necessary to inform them of its short existence.

She was glad that the office wasn't falling apart in her absence. In fact they had been simultaneously working on two new cases. She asked them to give her more information about it, but they refused, insisting that she needed to rest and to totally forget about work. She didn't worry too much however; they were more than competent to handle things while she was away. It was why she chose them in the first place.

An arrangement of purple orchids was delivered 'from the White House', but she knew they were really from Fitz. He knew orchids were her favourite flower and this was similar to the arrangement he'd gotten for her when she resigned as his communications director. She looked over at them smiling, raising a hand to lightly trail a finger along the delicate purple fold of one of them.

She turned to her side and slowly got up from the bed wanting to go to the bathroom. She felt dizzy at first when she got to her feet, having been in a reclining position for so long. She grabbed onto the rail of the bed to steady herself for a bit until the grogginess subsided and she didn't feel so disoriented.

She walked into the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror.

"What?" She thought that she looked a terrible mess. She touched the bandage on her forehead, ran a finger over the stitches on her cheek and grimaced. She fought against the urge to peel away the bandage on her forehead to look at the cut but decided against it.

The shower stall was to her right and she looked at it longingly. Hot running water was just a few steps away. What she really wanted, what she was dying to do was to stand under a stream of hot water and let it run all over her. Gazing down at the cast on her left arm, she didn't see how she'd be able to accomplish that right now. She sighed feeling a little frustrated and shrugged. She figured the least she could do was brush her teeth.

Luckily, all her toiletries and towels were right beside her bed on the nightstand, so she didn't have to look too hard or too long. She got out her toothpaste and toothbrush and went back in the bathroom. She brushed for a minute then started to rinse, happy that she was able to accomplish that simple task on her own. She was bent over the sink, and then straightened up quickly when the room began to spin. She reached out to grab the door handle but missed, and ended up falling down on the floor.

She hadn't heard her room door open and cried out when she landed onto the hard tile. She was halfway on her side and her stomach realizing that getting up off the floor was going to be somewhat of an adventure.

"Liv?" She heard a voice calling her name and the room light was cut on. It sounded like Stephen.

"I'm in here." She managed weakly. She heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming toward her and looked up to see Fitz extending his hands towards her.

"What in the world are you doing out of bed?" he asked her. Pulling her into his arms and carrying her out of the bathroom.

"I just wanted to…"

"Livi you have to stop this. Allow people to help you. That's what the nurses are here for, honey. Now why didn't you buzz for one of them?" He placed her gently in the middle of the bed and looked at her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just wanted to brush my teeth." She said reaching out for him. She wanted him to hold her and he obliged. "I missed you today. Laurie told me you called while I was sleeping."

"We talked for a bit. I thought about you all day. I've been worried about you. I hated to leave you this morning." He kissed her neck.

"Hmmmmm…" This is what Liv wanted. This is where she wanted to be, safe in his arms with no interruptions, and nothing and no one to intrude on their private moment.

"Is there anything you need? Anything I can get you at all?" He whispered.

"I'm not sure you can give me what I want right now."

"You might be surprised, tell me."

"I really want a shower, but…." She held up her arm pointing at the cast. He looked at her and smiled.

"I can do something even better."

"Better than a shower?"

"I can give you a bath, right here in the bed." He got up getting her things from the nightstand. He walked into the bathroom and she could hear him filling her basin with water. He took off his coat and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Liv watched him as he walked over to her and sat on the bed. He reached around and untied the strings of her hospital gown and gently slid it over her shoulders and took it off her, then gently pressed her back onto the bed.

Liv watched him as he dipped her wash cloth in the water and made a rich lather, careful not to wet it too much so he wouldn't make a mess. She closed her eyes, moaning softly as he moved the warm towel over her, along her shoulders first, down her arms avoiding the cast, then her collarbone and across her breasts. He lingered there for a minute using the towel not only to wipe that area off but also to lightly pinch her nipples till they hardened.

She grew warm all over when he wiped her stomach down in circling patterns causing her belly to rise and fall under his sweet touch. He rubbed the flat of his palm along her lower belly causing her to tingle with excitement. He played teasingly with one nipple then the other, rubbing the ball of his index finger along the top, then squeezing them playfully between his fingers. He kissed the top of her stomach and Liv arched her back towards him. He was right, this _**was**_ better than a shower, so much better.

He was incredibly thorough, leaving no part of her untouched. He sponged off her hands, even cleaned between her fingers raising each one to his mouth to kiss, suck or bite on them.

The combination of the warm water and the cool air from the A/C unit and Fitz's sensual touch caused her to break out in goose bumps all over her body.

"Bend your knees." He commanded softly, his voice deep and low, and she obeyed as he ran the towel over her thighs, down to her legs and over her feet and toes. Liv reached up to run her hand along his hairline and their eyes connected just as he ran the towel across her core. Back and forth he massaged it with a look of smoldering desire in his eyes.

"Fitz…

He let the towel drop into the basin and bent down to kiss her. She ran a hand through his hair pulling him closer to her and pushed her tongue into his mouth as he gently slid his fingers over her opening and softly massaged her clit. Liv felt something waking up inside her and moaned, opening her legs so his hands had freedom of movement.

Fitz almost lost control, he wanted her so badly. But he knew it was too soon after her accident, and it wasn't the right time or the place, so with very great effort he pulled away and rolled her onto her side.

"I have to get your back." He said. He smoothed her hair away from her back and onto her shoulder, bending his head to kiss her there. The feel of his lips as they lightly touched the centre of her back caused her to gasp. Her breath was heavy as he circled her back and her butt with the towel, washing and rinsing, touching and caressing them.

He quickly dried her off and set her onto her back once more, carefully drying her off then resting a hand on the side of her hip.

"How was that, hmm?" he said tracing her bottom lip with his finger.

"Just lovely." She smiled at him.

"Be right back." He went into the bathroom to dispose of the water and put the basin away. When he got back he looked around for her bag and took out a pajama set, her underwear and a small bottle of lotion. He slid her panties on up over her thighs. Before putting on her pajamas he gently massaged the lotion all over her body. Liv moaned, purring almost like a cat he thought and the smile on her face was wide.

"I feel delightfully pampered, Mr. President." She said after he fastened the last button on her top. "You've outdone yourself tonight."

"Oh I'm not done yet. Sit up." He said and helped her sit up in the bed. He got a brush out of her bag and proceeded to brush her hair softly."

"I know I look a mess."

"I happen to think you look absolutely beautiful, what are you talking about?"

"Such a smooth one, you are. I bet you get all the girls."

"Well you know I didn't do too bad back in my younger years, but I've saved all the best lines for you."

"Liar."

He laughed. "About which part though?"

"Scoot over. I'm getting into bed with you." He put the brush away and slid his shoes off. He got in bed behind her pulled her close to his chest. Her hips fit perfectly against his and he put the blanket over the both of them. He slid his hands around her waist feeling so glad to be near her.

Liv relaxed against him and she loved when he looped his fingers through hers.

"Laurie said she was thinking of asking you to go back to Brooklyn with her and your mom for a couple of weeks."

"She did? Well we haven't talked about that. "

"She said she thought it would be good for you to get away for a while."

"Change of scenery?"

"That's exactly what she said. " He paused for a minute. "I don't want you to go. I know it's selfish to ask, but…I want you to stay."

She could tell by the sound of his voice that he was anxious about what she'd decide. Since the accident, she'd felt afraid. Unreasonably afraid that since she'd lost the baby things would change between them, that he would change his mind about the divorce.

"I just….when I heard that you were in the hospital again…all I could think about was what if I'd lost you and the baby. In that moment I felt so ….so powerless to save you or do anything. I can't imagine my life without you in it Liv. I just can't. When you left the White House I…..I was devastated. I can't take losing you again. I can't. I can't let you go to Brooklyn. I'll arrange a stay at home nurse for you if I have to."

She laughed.

"No I'm serious. Whatever I have to do I'll do it. But I don't want you to go."

"Then I won't go."

"Thank you."

"What happened to the guy who hit me?"

"Drunk driver. He was arrested, but he got out on bail. Although I don't know how the son of a bitch pulled that off. I had Cyrus looking into it. Curiously though, I talked to him today and the guy just…. disappeared."

"He just disappeared?" Liv immediately thought of Huck wondering if he had something to do with that. She shuddered at the thought, but put it from her mind.

"Yeah."

"So how long do I have you for tonight, sir?"

"Only until morning unfortunately, then I have to slip away." He said kissing her neck and she slowly turned to face him.

"Then let's make the most of it."

"Ooooh I like the sound of that Ms. Pope."

"Kiss me." And she pressed her lips against his.

He cupped the back of her head and she moaned as the kiss deepened.

"Livi we're in the hospital, you just….."

"Shut up. " She said kissing him and interrupting his sentence. "We're only kissing Fitz."

"Hmmmmmmm…" was all he could manage and pulled her on top of him, sinking into the pillows.


	26. The Last Resort

**_A/N The last chapter for me was interesting to write. I really felt like due to the last circumstances Liv really needed some tenderness, she needed to be taken care of and so that's how that story came about. I think Fitz got a satisfaction in taking care of her in that moment just as much as she enjoyed him taking care of her. Glad to hear you guys liked it. Keep those reviews coming, I love them!_**

The alarm on Fitz's phone went off slowly pulling him out of the peaceful slumber he'd succumbed to hours ago. He lay there for a few moments more adjusting his eyes to the darkness, then glanced down at the angel who was nestled against his chest. Her breathing was slow and steady, she was still asleep. If he moved now, he would wake her. He closed his eyes again taking a deep breath and stroked her back gently.

She moaned in her sleep, a soft sound, barely audible and brought her fist up under her chin. He smiled looking down at her.

_**She is so remarkable**_ he thought.

She'd endured so much but here she was dealing with it, intent on moving forward. After everything she'd been through she was still so unguarded with him, still open, without the slightest hint of cynicism. He admired her strength of spirit. She had such a warm heart. He was so glad that he'd met her and had found a place in it.

He bent down kissing the top of her head and she began to stir.

"I have to go baby." He whispered, stroking her hair.

"I know." She whispered back and they both sat up. He cut the lamp on next to her bed and slipped his jacket back on. She sat on the edge of the bed sleepily looking at him, thinking he looked incredibly handsome.

He walked towards her, bending down, cupping her face in his hands and put his forehead next to hers.

"Are we gonna be okay?"

"Always." She replied pressing her lips onto his for a brief kiss. He stood up, his left hand still on her face and Liv turned her head to kiss it.

"I'll call you today to check on you and find out what the doctor said alright?"

'Mmm hmm."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

**10:45AM**

Mellie stared at Fitz then back at Mick Jacobs his attorney. Fitz had invited her to a meeting with the both of them to discuss the divorce. She felt like it was more of an ambush. She was fuming inside, but kept a calm expression on her face while she looked over the papers in front of her.

Fitz had covered his bases. He wanted joint custody of the children, which she had expected. He was a family man after all, he genuinely loved the kids. The settlement he'd offered her and the monthly child support he'd outlined were more than generous. He even dangled the carrot of an extra $500,000 if she signed right away. Apparently he wanted to be rid of her as soon as possible.

How dare he? How dare he after all the years she'd given him, to try to simply discard her like a piece of trash ready for the garbage? She gave up a burgeoning career in law to support him when sought public office. She was the dutiful wife, working in his campaign office, staying up late nights on that friggin campaign bus, staying in seedy hotels to make sure his ass got elected. She even had the children for him, polishing off the perfect political image he wanted to project! And now that he had no more use for her he simply wanted her to just go away.

How dare he?

There was no way she was going down without a fight. She still had a few things up her sleeve, but for now she'd smile, she'd agree. She would make it seem like she'd go along with his plan.

She put on the most dazzling smile she could muster and cast her eye on Fitz.

"Well. It certainly seems like you've covered everything, _**honey**_." She said placing emphasis on the last word.

"I wanted to make sure you were well taken care of Mel as well as the children. There's no need for this to be messy." He said staring back at her.

"Of course not, but I'm sure you won't mind if I have my attorney look these over, _**just**_ _**to make sure**_. I just need a couple of days."

"Not at all. Mick thanks so much for coming."

"My pleasure Mr. President. Mel."

She forced out a smile as he left.

"I want to talk to the kids about this ….tonight."

"Tonight? Fitz I don't know. Are you sure that's …..It's too soon." She was stalling. If she could prevent the divorce from going through at all, she didn't want to alarm the children unnecessarily.

"Soon? No, Mel. If we're going to be signing papers in a matter of weeks, we need to prepare them now. And we need to reassure them that their parents still love them even if we no longer love each other."

She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at his last sentence. This bastard was worried about them being in love with each other when they had a country to run and important things to do. He was so sentimental at times it was sickening.

"Oh of course." She said, pretending to agree. "I guess I'll see you at dinner."

"What do you have planned for today?"

"A literacy event. For the scholarship of course." She quickly added as Fitz raised an eyebrow no doubt assuming she was going to see Paul today. She wasn't. She planned to let things cool between them for a while. At least until she could convince Fitz to call off this ridiculous divorce. "I'll see you later."

* * *

Cyrus was on his way to Billy's office when he ran into Mick Jacobs in the hallway. He knew Mick was Fitz's attorney. This was the second time in two weeks he had been to see Fitz and apparently Artie was right that Fitz was seeking a divorce. It was a mess and Cyrus shook his head knowing what was surely coming. He saw his political career flashing before his eyes fearing this would be the end.

"Mick, how are you?" he greeted him with a firm handshake.

"Oh Cyrus, I'm doing well. You?"

"Well you know me, as long as I'm at work, I'm doing fine. Come to see Fitz?"

"Already did, I'm heading out now. "

They chatted for another few minutes and Mick left since he had an appointment with another client. Cyrus sighed as he walked into Billy's office. He was on the phone but quickly hung up when Cy walked in.

"I'm sorry was I interrupting? Was that important?"

"Of course not, just an old friend I was catching up with."

Cyrus nodded and closed the door in the back of him.

"I just wanted to have a chat with you, Billy."

"Sure. About what?"

"Trust. I wanted to talk to you about trust. It's so hard to cultivate between people sometimes. It can be strong enough to hold people together, but so fragile that…..when you break it, it can be lost forever."

"I'm not following you Cy."

"No, you never followed me did you? You never followed any of us. Not the President, not me, definitely not Liv. No you had an agenda all your own. To bide your time until you could hurt this administration with the greatest betrayal of all."

"He doesn't deserve to be President. Sally Langston…."

"…..Is a right wing nut job that would plunge this nation, this great country of ours back into the middle ages if she got the chance! She'd undo progress as we know it. So don't you dare tell me she'd do a better job than Fitzgerald Grant. You're delusional if you think that."

"We trusted you Billy. Treated you like one of our own and you turned on us. Turned on Liv. When she was run over like a dog in the street you just walked away and left her there."

"She had just ….."

"Stop! There is absolutely no excuse for what you did. I want your resignation and I want it by the end of the day. I will do whatever it takes to protect the President, you should know that. And as hard as you tried to destroy him, his legacy, his work… I will be a hundred times worse when I destroy you. It's over!"

* * *

**1:00PM**

Fitz called the hospital to check on Liv, but Laurie told him that she was with the doctor and couldn't talk. He was hopeful though, because according to her she was doing better and it looked like she would be discharged today. Like him Laurie was relieved and was ready to get her sister home.

He chatted with her a bit, but hung up when Cyrus came into his office. He walked over to one of the couches and propped himself up against the pillows.

"Cyrus…."

"I am 100% convinced that you either want the rest of my hair to fall out or you want me to die of a heart attack."

"What?"

"That could be the only explanation as to why you have Mick Jacobs coming here twice, no three times in the last two weeks I might add and you didn't tell me you had a baby on the way. I say 'had' because Olivia lost the baby. And you've been sneaking out at night staying with her in the hospital."

"I'm not going to even ask how you know about Olivia's pregnancy…."

"It doesn't matter. What matters is you've clearly lost your mind. You cannot divorce your wife. A President can't _**be**_ divorced."

"A President can't, no. But a man? A man can, Cy."

Cyrus stared at him in bewilderment. Here was a man who had everything, wife, career, money, the country handed to him on a silver platter and he was serious about just giving it all up. It made him angry that he'd just threatened Billy Chambers into resigning. It felt completely pointless right now. He sighed in annoyance.

"Sir, be reasonable. I realized you…Olivia is….."

"…..The love of my life Cyrus."

"You are not some love struck teenager so stop acting like one! This is ridiculous. A divorce is career suicide. You want to leave the country in the hands of Sally Langston? Because trust me as soon as word gets out about your divorce, she'll be up on her soapbox about how it's God's will for her to swoop in and save the country. What about all we've fought for, worked so hard to accomplish? Was that all for nothing?"

"It wasn't Cyrus although it might seem that way right now. But you know what? This isn't up for debate. Not in the least bit. In the next few weeks hopefully if Mel signs it'll be final. If the American people still want me for their President, I will gladly serve them till the end of my term. If not, I'll resign. Liv is important to me and I won't live without her anymore."

"Sir…"

"I won't discuss it anymore Cyrus." Fitz interrupted, his voice firm. "I _**will not**_ discuss it."

"You're making a mistake." Cyrus said stalking off as Fitz stared at his retreating back.

* * *

"My feet are cold." Liv said. "Laurie can you get my socks out of my bag for me…..please?"

"Sure. Be right back." Laurie left Liv alone with the doctor and went back to Liv's room shocked by the scene before her. There was the First Lady sitting on Liv's bed, talking to their mother. She couldn't believe it. She stepped into the room, walking towards them.

"Lauryn, look who stopped by to see your sister."

"Hello, Mrs. Grant. I should have known it was you when I saw the two men in suits in the hallway." She smirked.

The two women regarded each other and Laurie coolly walked over to Liv's bag looking for her socks. She found them and handed to her mother. "Mommy can you take these to Liv please? She's waiting for them. Thanks."

"It was nice to meet you Mrs. Grant."

Once her mother was gone, Laurie turned to Mellie, her displeasure now evident on her face.

"You have a lot of nerve. What in the world are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay away from my sister. "

"This is really none of your business. I simply came to check on Olivia."

"Anything that concerns my family is my business. My mother might buy your little Ms. Concerned act, but you don't fool me. You didn't come to check up on Liv, you came to gloat that she lost the baby. You really are a sick, pathetic, sad little woman."

Mellie pursed her lips together, her chin in the air and Laurie almost laughed. This woman was desperate. She could smell it on her from a mile away. She was desperate to hold onto her husband and she wasn't above threatening or intimidating anyone who she felt would stand in her way. In another life she may have even admired her for that. But right now her schemes involved Liv and she was damned if this woman thought she could threaten or intimidate either of them.

"And what is your sister? She's nothing but a scheming, conniving, dirty little home wrecker who…."

She wasn't able to finish because just then Laurie reached out and slapped her so hard, it echoed in the room. She cried out and stumbled backwards, holding her face.

"Have you lost your mind? Don't you dare talk about my sister like that!"

"How dare you?!" Mellie said rubbing her jaw.

"My sister may not be the First _**Lady,**_ and I use that term loosely I might add, but she is ten times the woman you are. Obviously your husband agrees with me or he wouldn't have fallen in love with her. "

"You tell your sister to stay away from my husband!"

"How about you tell your husband to stay away from my sister? Oh, I bet you've done that already and you're at the end of your rope because he can't. I know your type. Expensive degree, old money, you think you have it all. But it's just not enough. And no matter how highly you think of yourself, you'll always stand in Liv's shadow."

"He can be seen with me in public. She's the one who has to settle for the shadows. I'm his wife. He comes home to me, to his family, every night. What does that tell you?"

"Nothing really. If that all meant something to him, then why are you here? Do you even know?"

Mellie, for the first time in her life was at a loss for words.

"Honestly, I don't want to see you again unless it's on television. If you come near me or my sister again, I don't care how many Secret Service agents you bring with you, you will be sorry. Now get the hell out!"

* * *

Arthur Benedict was upset. His wife was away, his cook had the night off and he was upset because he was trying to enjoy his evening meal in front of the television when his evening was interrupted yet again. This time it was Mellie Grant and she sounded damned near hysterical.

"Artie, it didn't work. She lost the baby but he's still going through with the divorce. Now you have to do something about this and fast!" She shrieked into the phone.

He had reluctantly met with her several weeks ago and together they'd decided it was best that Ms. Pope be removed from the equation. Unfortunately Smith had only succeeded in injuring the woman and causing a miscarriage. He thought that the loss of the baby might be enough to make the President fall back in line, but apparently it hadn't worked. If anything according to Mellie Grant it had only strengthened his resolve to cut ties with his wife.

"Now listen Mel, I'm going to need you to calm down….." he was cut off as a gloved hand slipped from behind and wrapped tightly around his neck. He gurgled as he struggled, gasping for air. But the arm was so tight and the person continued to squeeze till he was finally unconscious.

"Calm down? Calm down? Artie? Artie?! Are you still there? Artie, talk t….." The phone was slowly put back on its cradle as Huck and Charlie stared down at Arthur Benedict's lifeless body on the floor.

"That took you long enough. Should have just hit him over the head." Said Charlie.

"We have to make it look like a heart attack remember? No visible marks."

"Well…..let's get started."

* * *

_**A/N I was hoping to have this story finished by the time the new season started but looks like that's not gonna happen. We are on the home stretch of it. I think I may have about three chapters more to go to finish it properly. Since the new season's coming up, there may be longer breaks between chapters, I don't know. But i just hope to give it an ending that we can all be happy with. Thanks so much for reading!**_


	27. Family Matters

"…..I'm gonna give him the needle." Charlie's heart raced, adrenaline pumping in his veins he was ready for the kill. Like an addiction once, the faucet was on and the water was running, it was hard to turn it off. Huck felt it too, pumping through his blood, he'd broken his sobriety and the need to kill again was coursing freely through his system.

But he remembered vaguely that Artie had called out a name while he was on the phone right before they got to him. he needed to know who was on the other line. He reached out clutching Charlie's arm, stopping him from administering the fluid that would stop Artie's heart and make it look like he went into cardiac arrest.

"No wait, Charlie. I want to ask him a few questions."

"About what?" now Charlie was annoyed.

"I want to know who he was talking to on the phone." Said Huck.

* * *

Liv lay back against the pillows and closed her eyes. She was home. Finally home in her own bed, under her own covers and in her own clothes. Though she'd spent most of her stay in the hospital sleeping, she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and rest. The TV was on and she watched the news, but her mind was on her mother and sister.

They'd dropped her off earlier and had both gone into town to buy food and take care of a few errands. she was still tired, and wasn't up for staying out too long. Doctor's orders once again, were to rest.

She thought of the last three days and her hands idly found her stomach.

The baby was gone.

It had all happened so fast. One minute she was on the sidewalk walking after Billy and the next she was hit by a truck and went flying across the pavement. When she hit her head the first time she was knocked out instantly and woke up in the hospital with Stephen sitting beside her.

Knowing the baby was gone brought tears to her eyes.

The doctor said there was a good chance she would be able to conceive again, so physically there was nothing wrong with her. But emotionally she felt drained and a little guilty which he also said was normal. Knowing that information hadn't made her feel any better. She couldn't help feeling that if she hadn't gone after Billy she'd still be pregnant right now.

She turned her head on the pillow when her phone rang and was happy to hear Fitz's voice on the other end.

"Hi." She said.

"How are you doing?" He asked. "I called you earlier but you were with the doctor. What did he say?"

"He said physically I'll be fine, I should be able to conceive again with no problems. Besides wearing a cast on my forearm for a few weeks, I'm fine. So he released me. I'm home."

Fitz let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm so happy to hear that. Where's Laurie? Is she there with you?"

"They're in town right now, running some errands…..."

"I hope they're back soon. I don't want you to be on your own for too long."

"I'll be fine Fitz. I was thinking of maybe just going to sleep."

"It's okay to admit that you're not alright. You know…its quite normal for you to feel…..a whole range of emotions after what you've just been through….. I don't want you to feel like you're alone in this. I don't want you blaming yourself, Liv. There was nothing you could do to stop that idiot from running into you. That's all his fault, the blame lies with him."

Liv gripped the phone tightly in her hands, listening to him, tears streaming down her face, but feeling a little better than she did a moment ago.

"What about you?"

"I wish I could have been there for you. Maybe I could have…"

She smiled, relieved and touched he felt the same way she did.

"On the way home from the hospital I saw this woman with her little girl. She wasn't any more than maybe four or five. They were just sitting at the bus stop having the time of their lives talking and eating ice cream cones. She was so cute Fitz, she had this head full of fiery red hair, and she had on her school uniform, cute shoes. And she had the cutest little pink school bag on her back. And I just started to wonder….you know….what would our daughter look like, or son…..? What would it be like to share an ice cream cone or watch cartoons together ….? I wasn't sure that I would ever want children. My career was always my focus; I didn't have time for much else. When I found out I was pregnant…I wonder what kind of mother I'd really be."

"I don't. I'm pretty sure you'd be a wonderful mother. It's the one thing I don't doubt. You're totally selfless. You take care of everyone else sometimes at your own expense. You'd have that same protective instinct with your own child, even more so in my opinion. "

Liv felt content in his reassurances. His words wrapped around her like a warm blanket and she felt like he was there for her not only physically but emotionally. It would take a while for her to be totally over the experience but she felt they were both headed in the right direction.

He said goodbye with a promise to see her soon and when she lay down against the pillows again, the sleep she fell into was peaceful.

* * *

"Damn it!" Cried Mellie in frustration and paced back and forth in the master suite at the White House residence. She'd tried calling Artie back three times but each call went unanswered. She was at the end of her rope. Seeking his help was like making a deal with the devil, but she had to do it. There was no other way.

Thinking of Olivia in the hospital caused her to experience a momentary crisis of conscience. At the time she and Artie had come to their mutual decision she was desperate to try anything, do anything she could to hold onto Fitz. That hadn't changed, but she realized that an attempt on Liv's life may not have been the most moral thing to do.

She scoffed at her thoughts of morality. She certainly hadn't been a pillar of virtue for the most part of her life. She believed in doing what she had to do whenever she had to do it. The ends always justified the means. Generally this theory and way of thinking worked out for her. But for some reason, no matter what she did, she wasn't able to sway Fitz back to her way of thinking anymore. She was losing her grip on him with each passing second.

She had no idea what to do next, and she was losing time. She could stall on the divorce papers for a week at most maybe two, but after that, Fitz would expect her to be ready to sign. She had to come up with something.

* * *

Huck stood at the sink in his bathroom at home washing his hands. They had the feel and smell of death on them. He'd been back from Arthur Benedict's house for two days but no matter how much he showered or washed his hands, he couldn't seem to wash away the stench from his hands. He dried his hands hurriedly on a towel, went into the kitchen to grab a beer out of the fridge and sat down on the couch, taking a long drink of it.

He closed his eyes for a moment hearing Arthur's voice clear as day in his ears.

"Who are you two? What do you want?" Artie said shakily then stiffened his voice demanding they answer. "Do you know who I am? What I can do to you?"

"I highly doubt you can do anything Mr. Benedict seeing as how you're tied up and can't move." Said Charlie looking at Huck.

"Why did you try to kill Olivia Pope?" Asked Huck ignoring Charlie's glances. "Who were you working with?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Now you will un-tie me this instant." He spoke in a tone that relayed to Huck that he was a man used to having his own way. He was accustomed to being obeyed whenever he issued commands. Normally he spoke with authority and people paid attention. Tonight he found himself in unfamiliar territory.

"Mr. Benedict, clearly you have not fully appreciated the gravity of this situation." Huck said bending down so that they were now on eye level with each other. His voice was low, menacing and serious. "Now let me share something with you. You are about to die. Your wife, your house, your children, your money, you can kiss them all goodbye. If you're a religious man I can give you a few minutes to reconcile with whatever god you worship but you are about to die. Now you can choose to do it the easy way or you can choose the route of pain. Either way I can still make it look like a heart attack and no one will suspect any foul play. Which one is it going to be?"

Artie closed his eyes and hung his head, not wanting to believe that any of this was real.

"Looks like he wants to go the painful route Huck. We're going to have some fun." Charlie looked at him with a smile, rubbing his hands together. He walked toward the table in the small office and started to unravel the tool belt they brought with them.

"Wait!" Screamed Artie. "Just wait. Now maybe there's something I can do for you. I have a lot of money. I'm sure we can work something out. Please….."

"It's not about money. I want to know who you were working with to kill Olivia Pope."

Artie let out a long sigh before he finally answered.

"Mellie. It was Mellie Grant."

Huck could hardly believe it and sitting there on the couch in this dark room, he pulled a small thumb drive out of his pocket starting at it and wondered if he should share this information with Liv".

Was she better off not knowing?

* * *

**3 DAYS LATER**

**7:00PM**

"….Your mother and I are getting a divorce…..."

Fitz let out a sigh and sat back in his chair. His office was dark save for the light coming through the window from outside. He stared up at the ceiling remembering the scene that unfolded directly after he spoke those words to the kids earlier this afternoon.

The room erupted with a mixture of emotions. Gerry got up from his chair, angry, hurt, confused demanding answers. Karen immediately began to cry. As much as he had tried, she was inconsolable.

As expected Gerry took Mel's side, first blaming Fitz for the way things had fallen apart, then wondering if he and Karen were to blame for the way things had deteriorated. Karen wouldn't speak. She just silently regarded him and Mellie both while they tried to explain that though they truly loved their kids, they couldn't live together as a couple anymore.

Her eyes conveyed extreme hurt yet it seemed she understood why. She wouldn't speak to him and neither would Gerry. They'd both gone to their respective rooms and shut themselves in. Fitz's heart ached for them knowing their lives would change forever.

They'd known life before the White House, but they'd never known a life without their parents living together. While he and Mellie weren't the lovey dovey couple like other kids' parents, there was at least the illusion of family, a sense of belonging, and familiarity. Now that foundation was being yanked out from under them seemingly out of nowhere.

He had expected Mel to throw him to the wolves, make him shoulder all the blame for the divorce since he was the one who had initiated it. But instead she had faced the children together with him, trying to soothe them as much as he did. For that he was grateful.

He let out a long breath feeling glad that at least to his immediate family, it was now out in the open.

All he had left to do was to get Mellie to sign the papers. Then they could figure out how to move on from there.

"Dad? " Karen's soft voice brought Fitz to his feet and he padded towards her as she came in the room.

"I'm here honey." He turned on one of the lamps near the sofa and they sat down together. Her eyes were puffy, tear stained and she looked so devastated, his heart nearly broke.

"Sweetheart come here." He pulled her against his chest and Karen wrapped her arms around him. "I love you so much honey. I love you so so much."

Karen hung onto him, tightly as the tears continued to flow. She felt like a frightened child in his arms and Fitz hated to see her hurting like this knowing he was the cause of it.

"Its going to be okay, I promise you that. Its going to be okay, baby."

* * *

"Mommy what are you picking that up for? Put that back, we're just going to have something light tonight." Said Laurie looking at the boxes of pasta her mother put into the shopping cart. Ella Pope ignored her daughter and picked up some pasta sauce.

"My child just got out of the hospital and she needs something hearty. I'm making lasagna tonight. Go look for some garlic bread and get some veggies for a salad."

"Ha! You know Livi always ate like a little bird. If she can finish a whole slice tonight I'll be surprised."

"If? There'll be no ifs when I finish. She's too thin as it is, I'll make sure she finishes. Go get the vegetables like I told you."

"Yes ma'am." She said grinning and returned in a few short minutes with Romaine, tomatoes and other salad greens and dressing.

"Good girl." Said Ella approvingly. "You know, Lauryn you haven't told me why you didn't want me to tell Olivia about the First Lady coming to visit the other day. I figure you had a good reason, but you have yet to share it with me."

Laurie shot her mother a guilty look, knowing this conversation was bound to happen sooner or later. She didn't know yet how she was going to answer. She was sure Liv hadn't told them she was having a baby for the leader of the free world. She didn't know if Liv planned to tell her now.

"I just didn't want to excite her too much. Liv was with the doctor when she was there so it doesn't matter anyway." She shrugged putting items into the cart.

"You know, you and your sister were always close. You took care of each other, were fiercely protective of each other. Sometimes you kept things from me."

"Mommy…."

"While we visited with Liv in the hospital a couple times I heard her murmuring a particular name in her sleep. I didn't put two and two together till the First Lady came to see her. "

Laurie pretended to study the nutrition label on a box of cookies and hoped her mother would let it go.

"Liv left the White House almost what? Maybe six months ago? If the first lady was concerned about Liv she could've sent flowers, she didn't really have to come over, a busy woman like that….doesn't make sense." She reached out and took the box of cookies out of Laurie's hand.

"Was Olivia pregnant for the President Lauryn?"

Laurie stared at her mother, unable to answer. But from the look on her face, she didn't really have to. Her mother held her gaze for a while, and then looked away.

"Olivia used to love these cookies when she was younger. Used to be her favourite, she couldn't get enough. Get another box Lauryn, just in case she still eats them."

* * *

_**A/N Just wanted to thank everyone of you who take the time to read and catch up on my story whether you leave a review or not. (but i love reviews so leave one,lol) Seriously I appreciate you guys. Sorry this update has taken so long. My shift at work had changed a bit and I was really busy. Once again thanks and I hope you enjoyed it!**_


	28. Confrontation

**_A/N Sorry this update took soooooooooooo long. Hope you enjoy it. :-)_**

* * *

Liv sat in her tub, filled with warm water and enjoyed the feel of the moist sponge her mother ran over her back. Her eyes were closed and she let out a soft purring sound.

"That feels so good."

"You always liked to be pampered didn't you?" Said Ella Pope a gentle smile crossing her mouth and lighting up her eyes.

"Haven't had this in a while though mommy. I really appreciate it. Thanks for staying with me."

It had been nearly two weeks since Liv had been out of the hospital and she was recovering well. She was no longer bleeding and her stitches and cuts were healing fine. The swelling on her cheek had gone down and she was getting used to the cast on her arm. Laurie had gone back home, she had to get back to her own business and family, so her mother stayed behind.

They had caught up on so much. They talked about family, the new man her mother was seeing who Liv still hadn't met. They talked about Liv's job, what Laurie and her family was doing, but they hadn't talked about Liv's miscarriage yet or who she was pregnant for. It seemed like her mother was just waiting, patiently waiting for her to open up.

She knew her mother heard the phone ringing every night when Fitz called, but she never questioned who it was on the other line. She never pushed. She just waited.

Liv didn't know how to talk to her about it. She didn't want to disappoint her mother.

"Where else would I be than here with my baby?"

"Baby? Mommy I'm thirty five years old." She said laughing.

"When you're fifty, if I'm still alive you'll still be my baby. Come on now let me help you up."

She held up a towel for her and helped Liv get out the tub and led her back to the bedroom.

After making sure Liv didn't need anything else Ella decided to go relax in the whirlpool tub herself for a while. Liv chuckled at the sound of music coming from the bathroom and her mother singing along.

She walked into the kitchen to look for something to eat when there was a soft knocking at the door.

She padded into the living room to go answer it, surprised to see Huck standing outside.

"Huck. Come in, come in."

She smiled up at him as he handed her some tea.

"Thanks." She said taking a sip and invited him to sit down. She noticed his eyes were anxious as he asked about her. She felt as if he was watching her, listening intently to her words as if looking for clues to how she was really feeling.

"Huck I'm fine really. I'm eager to get back to the office, but I have to stay home another week."

"Are you alone?" He asked looking around nervously.

"My mother's in the back….Huck what's wrong? Just tell me."

He reached into his pocket and handed her a disc. "You need to listen to what's on this. I wondered if I should give this to you, but…."

Liv took it from him and inserted it into her CD player. She plugged in the headphones and stood in shock at what she heard.

"Oh God." She said cutting it off after it was finished and put a hand over her mouth. "Huck where …..how did you get this?"

He stared back at her and looked away quickly. "It's better if you don't ask me that Liv."

"Huck…" She put a hand on his arm and he covered her hand in hers.

"I just thought you might be able to use it."

"You didn't have to do this Huck." Her heart broke for him seeing the look in his eyes.

"Liv…..I would do anything for you, you know that. I need to take a few days off. I need to disappear for a while."

"Are you going to be okay? Huck look at me, please." She cupped his face in her hands. "I don't want to spend the next few days worrying about you. Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine Liv. Trust me." He walked over to the front door.

"Call me Huck. If you need me, call me." She hugged him quickly and it took a while, but he embraced her too. "Thank you."

Olivia stood rooted to the spot at the door, not able to move, barely breathing as she tried to digest the fact that her accident wasn't an accident at all. It was deliberate and it was planned by none other than Mellie Grant and whoever it was on the tape. The confession ran through her mind over and over again. She was reeling. She was hurt. She was angry. Tears stung the back of her eyes. Not only did they want to kill her baby, but they had planned to kill _**her**_.

"Olivia who was that? I thought I heard something." Her mother's voice behind her jolted her upright. She quickly collected herself before turning around. She didn't want to worry her mother any more than she already was.

"It was a friend from work. He stopped by to see me. He brought me some tea." She said holding up the container and took a sip.

"Do you want something to eat? I can fix you something."

"Uh no mommy. I'm just….I think I'm going to head to bed, I feel a little sleepy."

"Ok. Goodnight."

Liv closed the door to her bedroom and sunk underneath the covers thinking about what she was going to do. She felt the pain of the miscarriage anew mingled with outrage. How dare Mellie? How dare she?

When the phone rang later that night, she didn't answer. She couldn't talk to Fitz right now. She knew she'd only end up telling him about the recording and she didn't want to do it over the phone.

She turned over ignoring the persistent ring and willed herself to sleep.

* * *

Fitz hung up the phone and sighed heavily. He dialed Liv's phone one more time, but still got no answer. He started to worry. He'd spoken to her every night since she'd gotten out of the hospital and now she wasn't answering. He hoped she had simply fallen asleep and it wasn't anything major that happened.

He made his way upstairs to the residence and Mellie was still awake.

"Working late again?" She asked.

"Tying up some loose ends yes. " She eyed him as he started to undress.

"Do you have any idea when your attorney will be finished looking over the divorce papers?"

"No, there were still some things on page 5 he wanted to look at more closely."

"Mel I'm not an idiot. You are stalling and I'm sick of it."

"I'm not stalling."

"Yes you are and it's pointless for you to do it. Nothing is going to change my mind. I want this divorce and you are going to sign those papers. You have till the end of this week Mel, I won't wait any longer."

"So what happens after I sign? Do you really think the American people are going to be happy to have a divorced President in office? Your career will be over!"

"I'm prepared to deal with it Mel. I'll gladly finish the rest of my term if they'll let me. If not, I'll be happy to resign and step down. But I'm not staying in this marriage any longer. I've had enough."

"Damn you!" She screamed and stalked off slamming the bedroom door behind her.

Fitz stepped into the shower, thinking of Liv and how much he missed her. He hadn't seen her since the day she was released from the hospital. That was entirely too long. He would make a point to see her tomorrow.

* * *

It was early when Liv woke Cyrus Beene out of his sleep. It wasn't even 6am when she called him at home telling him that she needed to see Fitz urgently and she had to see him today. He was speaking at Veteran's luncheon and he told her she could stop by and speak to him then.

Liv pinned up her hair up into a nice chignon and donned a gray shell top with matching gray slacks. She threw on her white Tory Burch coat and headed out the door shortly after 9am with protests from her mother ringing in her ears.

"I'll be back soon." She told her and decided to take a cab instead of driving.

She got to MacMillan Hall in the middle of Fitz's speech, and sat at the back listening to him.

She smiled remembering how she used to help him with his speeches, going over key points, telling where to place emphasis while he would playfully try to distract or kiss her, sometimes both.

He spoke for another ten minutes before he locked eyes with her in the back of the room. He briefly lost his place in his speech at the sight of her but no one noticed except Liv and she smiled again.

As he wrapped up she made her way over to Cyrus who greeted her with a warm hug.

"How are you? Shouldn't you be in bed resting?"

"I was, I have been Cy. How are you? How's James doing?"

He shook his head rolling his eyes and smiled. "Still pushing for us to adopt that baby."

She smiled back. "You'll give in eventually. You can't deny him anything."

"We'll see about that, won't we? What's up today?"

"It's personal Cy. I just need some time alone with him before you leave."

Cy nodded and spoke with a Secret Service agent who secured a vacant meeting room for the President when he was done and escorted Liv inside. She waited anxiously for what seemed like ages. She knew Fitz would be shaking hands, making small talk, posing for photos and giving small interviews. Normally he liked to wrap these things up quickly and truthfully she hadn't been waiting long, but it felt like eternity standing there waiting for him to enter the room.

With each passing second, she grew more and more anxious to see him. She needed to see him, she need to hold him. She needed to just…..

"Fitz…." She said spinning around when the door opened behind her. She walked over to him and he pulled her in his arms. She let out a long breath that she didn't' even realize she was holding in and he noticed.

"Hey….what's going on? What's the matter?"

"Just hold me for a minute."

"You must have read my mind. I was planning on coming to see you later." He said his voice just above a whisper.

She looked up at him. "I didn't realize how much I missed you." He bent down to kiss her.

"Fitz…" he could tell now by the look on her face that something was wrong.

"Talk to me."

"It's about my accident. It wasn't really an accident."

"What do you mean?" He asked watching her retrieve a disc out of her handbag, pushing it toward him. "What is this?"

"It's proof that my 'accident' was planned. I wasn't supposed to just lose the baby Fitz. They wanted me dead."

"What are you talking about? Who is 'they'?"

"I don't recognize the man's voice on the audio, but he names Mellie as his co conspirator."

"What?"

"She planned it along with him Fitz. She wanted to get rid of me; she wanted me gone because you asked her for a divorce."

"Mellie? Are you sure?"

"Fitz I wouldn't lie about this." She insisted. "You know I wouldn't lie about this."

"Where did the information come from?" he said anger filling his voice.

"A reliable source. Whoever this man is, he's powerful and he has a stake in the recent bill you just sent to get passed. And she went to him out of desperation because she couldn't get you to change your mind. She killed our baby Fitz. I knew she wanted to hold on to you…..I know she wanted to remain the First Lady, but I never knew she'd do something like this…."

"Come here." He said pulling her to his chest. "I promise you Livi…I promise you she won't get away with this."

"Fitz …if this gets out, people will want to know why she came after me….."

"I will take care of it. I promise you. You just leave it to me. I'll deal with her." He stroked her cheek and kissed her. Liv closed her eyes enjoying the familiar touch of his lips on hers. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into him. His mouth grew hungry tethered with longing over not having been with her for a while.

"I missed you." He murmured against her lips and gently nipped at her bottom lip with his teeth before kissing her again. Liv felt like she was home. The comfort of his arms was like a warm blanket thrown over her to ward off the cold. She leaned her head against his chest feeling safe there.

There was a light knock on the door and Cyrus walked in clearing his throat. Fitz didn't release her from his embrace.

"Mr. President, we're ready to head back to the White House now. The meeting with the Domestic Policy Advisor starts in a half hour."

Fitz let out a sigh as Cyrus slipped back outside.

"Duty calls."

"I know." She replied as he planted a short kiss on her mouth.

"I will see you soon."

"Promise me?"

"Promise."

* * *

**8:23PM**

"Raven is moving and headed towards the restroom."

"Copy that, Raven is moving towards the restroom. McNamara check corridors and surrounding area, Raven is moving towards you."

"Mellie excused herself from the table. She was wrapping up her dinner date with her friend Marilyn and headed to the restroom. The secret service agent in the corridor greeted her before she stepped inside. It was empty and she stood before the mirror checking her makeup.

She didn't hear the silent footsteps as the moved towards her; she didn't notice the man in the ski mask until he was directly behind her with a gun pointed to her neck.

"Do not make a sound."

"There are Secret Service agents all over this restaurant you won't get away with this. All I have to do is scream."

"If you do, you'll take a bullet in the back of the head. Do not make a sound." He spun her round till she was face to face with silencer and she closed her eyes feeling terrified.

"I know you planned to kill Olivia Pope. I know every detail about your plan and who you were working with. I won't kill you, not today. But I'm here to warn you that if anything else happens to her, anything at all, If she so much as trips and falls down, I'll come looking for you, do you understand?"

"Yes." She said shakily nodding her head, her eyes were still closed and her hear hammered inside her chest.

"Get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head."

She hesitated; still terrified he was going to kill her.

"Do it now." Once she was on the floor, he instructed her to count to twenty. She hardly made it to ten before Huck had crept into the ventilation duct and crawled to safety.

Mellie alerted the Secret Service as soon as she got out but by then Huck had vanished without a trace.


	29. Confrontation Part 2

_**A/N K so this is one is basically the last Chapter except its told (for the most part) from Fitz's point of view. It explains why he seemed so calm when Liv gave him the news about her 'accident'. Also this one starts with a flashback to the campaign trail. Thanks again for all the reviews and follows and favourites. Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

**THE TRAIL**

**Presidential candidate debate with Sally Langston**

"Try not to get cornered on foreign policy Fitz. I think that's your weakest area right now."

Fitz rolled his eyes at Mellie and let out a frustrated sigh. It was an hour before he was set to debate Sally Langston and instead of encouraging him, Mel had been picking him apart the entire day. He stood before the mirror in their hotel room and adjusted his tie.

"Mel, I think I've got it handled, alright."

"I'm just saying. You don't want to mess this up. This is our last debate and we really need you to be aggressive. Your strong points are….."

"I know what they are Mel, I don't need you to remind me. Just give it a rest. "She walked up to him, shooing his hands out of the way and finished fixing his tie for him. She straightened out his jacket, running her hands over his chest.

"Well you certainly look the part of the president. I've got to get ready for my flight."

"I don't see why you couldn't leave in the morning. You should be with me tonight. Sally's husband is going to be there."

"You'll do fine without me. Besides Olivia and Cyrus will be there. Now go, the car should be downstairs waiting."

She gave him the once over and went into the bathroom.

Fitz picked up a small portfolio and headed to the door.

When he got downstairs in the lobby Liv was there waiting for him.

"I was wondering if I had to come up there and get you. Thought maybe you'd chickened out." She joked and gave him one of her disarming smiles. The ones that always left his heart beating fast and made him want to pull her close and kiss her senseless. She was dressed in a dark tweed jacket and black pants. Her hair was pulled back away from her face, but dark tendrils hung in waves over her back and shoulders. He resisted the urge to reach out and tangle his fingers in the alluring black mass. Her brown doe eyes beckoned him back to reality.

"I'm sorry but I don't scare that easily. Where's Cyrus?"

"He's already left so you're riding with me."

They walked out together and Liv went into fixer mode going over everything from his posture, his stance, his facial expression, tone of voice to the topics he should speak about and draw attention to.

On the ride over he pretended not to notice the fullness of her mouth or the way she tilted her head to the side when she talked to him. Sometimes she arched her brow, or she would nod at something he said. He found her voice so calming; her very presence brought him such a profound sense of peace.

When they got to the University where the debate was held and they had parked the car she stopped and turned to him before they went in.

She seemed nervous all of a sudden, shy even. He found it endearing and was hopeful that maybe she felt, something….

"Governor, there's really no need for you to worry. You're going to win this debate, and the nomination I'm sure of it." She stared up at him with certainty in her eyes. Was it certainty or was it something else?

"Is that your professional opinion Liv?"

She nodded. "It's my personal one. Out of everybody else you faced, you're not just the better candidate, you're the better person. You're the better man…..in every way. You're better than Sally Langston. You're a man of the people. "

"Liv….."

"Working with you, the whole time since Cyrus brought me on, I've I gotten to know you and…..I just…I believe in you. Don't worry about how you'll do tonight. Don't worry about getting boxed into a corner. Just speak what's in your heart."

It was at the moment that Fitz knew that he was completely in love with her. Before he had just guessed, he had felt something, but now he knew without question that this woman held his heart in a way that no one else had and no one else would ever again.

* * *

**PRESENT DAY 9:25AM**

"Mr. President, Olivia wants to see you. She called this morning. I told her to pass by the Veteran's Luncheon so you'll have a few minutes with her before we have a meeting with the Domestic Policy Advisor back here."

"Thank you Cyrus."

Fitz got halfway through his speech before he locked eyes with her in the back of the room. She was so beautiful, he wanted to walk away from the podium and scoop her up in his arms right then and there. But he soldiered through the rest of the speech and hurried through interviews and photos afterwards.

When he finally was escorted to a small meeting room and saw her face though he was worried.

"Fitz ….." she said as soon as she saw him and he pulled her into his arms.

Hey….what's going on? What's the matter?" He had asked her rubbing his hands over her back trying to soothe her.

"Just hold me for a minute."

"You must have read my mind. I was planning on coming to see you later." He said his voice just above a whisper.

She looked up at him. "I didn't realize how much I missed you." He bent down to kiss her.

"Fitz…" he could tell now by the look on her face that something was wrong. He grew nervous.

"Talk to me."

"It's about my accident. It wasn't really an accident."

"What do you mean?" He asked watching her retrieve a disc out of her handbag, pushing it toward him. "What is this?"

"It's proof that my 'accident' was planned. I wasn't supposed to just lose the baby Fitz. They wanted me dead."

"What are you talking about? Who is 'they'?"

"I don't recognize the man's voice on the audio, but he names Mellie as his co conspirator." Liv's eyes glistened with unshed tears and

"What?!"

"She planned it along with him Fitz. She wanted to get rid of me; she wanted me gone because you asked her for a divorce."

"Mellie? Are you sure?"

The dread that had slowly been building within him had now turned to pure rage. Over the years Mel had schemed, she had done many underhanded things without consequences. There was no way he was about to let this one go unchecked.

He looked down at Liv trying to remain calm. She had been through so much; he didn't want to alarm her with a violent outburst at this revelation. He needed to be strong for her right now. He needed to be the strong pillar she could run to and feel safe.

"Fitz I wouldn't lie about this." She insisted. "You know I wouldn't lie about this." She insisted frantically.

"Where did the information come from?" he said anger filling his voice and he clenched his jaw to bite down a curse that almost came to his lips.

"A reliable source. Whoever this man is, he's powerful and he has a stake in the recent bill you just sent to get passed. And she went to him out of desperation because she couldn't get you to change your mind. She killed our baby Fitz. I knew she wanted to hold on to you…..I know she wanted to remain the First Lady, but I never knew she'd do something like this…."

"Come here." He said pulling her to his chest. "I promise you Livi…I promise you she won't get away with this."

"Fitz …if this gets out, people will want to know why she came after me….."

"I will take care of it. I promise you. You just leave it to me. I'll deal with her."

He stroked her cheek and kissed her. Liv closed her eyes enjoying the familiar touch of his lips on hers. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into him. His mouth grew hungry tethered with longing over not having been with her for a while.

A few moments later Cyrus interrupted them to tell him that it was time to leave and he reluctantly said goodbye, but not before promising to see her soon.

He was devastated at the thought of almost losing her. How could Mellie do such a deplorable thing? To him it was unspeakable. He, just like Liv, had never imagined the lengths she would go to hold onto her position in the White House.

* * *

**12NOON**

"Cyrus, I need you to push the meeting back a half an hour, I need a minute."

"Sir? What's going on, is there…?"

"I have something I need to take care of Cyrus. Simon Avery can wait." He said referring the Domestic Policy Advisor and went straight to the Oval as soon as they got back to the White House.

He walked straight through to his private office and went to play the disc.

He listened intently to the man's voice on the CD. And although the man was under extreme duress, he recognized the southern drawl of Arthur Benedict. So it was Artie who'd conspired with Mellie! What would he gain from Fitz staying in office?

Of course the oil contracts he'd submitted depended on the last bill passing. If he left office the Democrats could use his exit as an excuse to vote against it. And Mel had gone to him pleading her case and they had both tried to kill Olivia!

Fitz picked up the small glass globe from his desk. It was a paperweight Mel had given him over ten years ago. He rolled it around his palm, his anger growing every second.

Fitz got up and paced the floor of his office. Images of the past flashed before his eyes.

The first day he met Liv.

The day she stood in the corridor with him simply because he asked her to.

The time they'd held hands on the campaign bus.

Their first kiss and the night they'd first made love.

The first time she told him she loved him.

The day she left the White House and the night they shared before her last day.

The night he found out she was pregnant and the moment she forgave him for his involvement with Amanda Tanner and told him she'd let him back into her life.

Olivia meant everything to him. He'd never felt more complete than when he was with her. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She'd filled his life with so many precious moments. He had come that close to losing her. Their precious baby was dead. Something special….conceived out of love….. He'd almost lost her…..he couldn't imagine life without her…because of them, he'd come so close….

Moments later the globe lay in pieces as it shattered against the wall where Fitz threw it while letting out nothing short of a growl.

He picked up the phone and the operator quickly answered.

"Secure line please."

He slowly dialed a number and waited.

"Hello?"

"It's me Mick. I need you to do something for me."

"What do you need, Mr. President?"

"It's about the divorce papers and Mellie's settlement. We need to go over that. Right now."

* * *

**12NOON**

"Mommy! Are you here?"

Ella Pope emerged from the kitchen with a smile on her face.

"Of course I am child, where else would I be?"

"I told you I wouldn't be gone long. Something smells good. What are you fixing?"

"Pulled pork sandwiches with sweet potato fries."

"Sounds good, let me go change."

"You do that." Said her mother watching her head to her bedroom. Ella let out a short sigh, then slowly followed her daughter.

She sat on the bed watching Liv slip out of her clothing and folded her arms.

"What's going on?"

"You tell me Olivia."

"What do you mean?"

"Liv I am not a fool I may be an old woman, but you and your sister sometimes think that fact makes me a dummy."

"Mommy…."

"Don't 'mommy' me. I have waited for two weeks for you to be ready to talk to me. But I'm not waiting any more. We are going to talk, and we're going to do it now."

Liv stood in her underwear staring down at her hands in front of her feeling like a teenager again.

"Liv, I'm your mother. You can trust me. Don't you know that? Come here." She patted the spot on the bed next to her and beckoned Liv to come and sit down. She complied, but she still couldn't look mother in the eye.

"It's not a matter of trust mommy; it's just that….I didn't want you to be disappointed in me."

"Talk to me baby."

With tears running down her cheeks she told her mother about falling in love with Fitz, about Mellie finding out about them and the real reason she left the White House. She told her about the pregnancy and how much Fitz was devastated about losing the baby. She left out the details of Fitz's encounter with Amanda Tanner and Mellie being involved with her 'accident'.

After she was done she finally looked up and was relieved that there was no judgment in her mother's eyes.

"Baby I've known all along."

"What do you mean you've known?"

"Well the First Lady came by the hospital to see you and Lauryn swore me to secrecy so I wouldn't tell you. She seemed upset after she talked to her so I was suspicious since then. Even more so when you hadn't told me who you were pregnant for. And I didn't see any man come around to visit you. I hear your phone ring every night but you've never said who was calling. I was just….waiting. I was waiting for you to trust me."

"But….."

"It's not the best of circumstances baby, but I could never be disappointed in you. I just wish you knew that you could tell me anything. "

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I just want you to be alright. That's all I ever want. Come here."

Her mother pulled her against her chest and once again Liv felt like the teenager again, but this time she didn't mind.

* * *

**5:45PM**

"Cy, sit down." Fitz put his feet up on the centre table in the Oval office and sat back against the cushions as Cyrus eyed him uneasily.

"Mr. President?"

"We haven't always seen eye to eye on everything have we Cyrus?"

"No, sir, we haven't."

"But I've always believed you were on my side. I always believed you had my back."

"I do sir, but I don't understand….."

Fitz slammed a manila folder on the table in the middle of them.

"Divorce papers. Mick sent them over today. I asked him to put a rush on them. Go ahead take a look."

Cyrus opened the folder skimming the pages quickly, his apprehension growing.

"Sir there is no way in the world she's going to sign this. You're offering her practically nothing in this."

"She will or she'll wish she did when I'm done with her, Cy."

"What's going on, sir? Does this have something to do with Olivia? You've been uneasy to say the least since you saw her this morning."

"Mel tried to have Olivia killed." He said quietly.

"What?"

"She plotted with Artie Benedict to have Liv killed. Her accident was not an accident at all."

"Arthur Benedict? Are you sure sir?"

"I'm sure. Liv has a recording of him confessing." Cyrus was a little alarmed. How would Liv have obtained this tape? And what else did Artie say on it? He wondered if Fitz knew that he and Artie had been secretly meeting for a while now. The man was positively furious. True his anger was cooling a little right now, but if he thought Cyrus may have been involved that could surely change at any minute.

"Things are about to change over the next few days Cyrus. I'm going to need you now more than ever. I need to know if you're still on my side."

"Of course I am sir. You don't even have to ask."

* * *

**9:23PM**

Fitz was sitting on the couch in their bedroom with a half empty bottle of scotch on the floor in front of him and glass in his hand when Mellie got home from her dinner. She looked visibly shaken and she fumbled with the light switch when she got inside. She didn't notice him sitting there but she stopped in her tracks when she noticed her entire set of luggage was packed next to the bed and some of her clothes from the closet were on the bed along with her personal items from the bathroom.

She spun round quickly and that's when she saw him.

"Fitz? What the hell is going on?" She demanded noting the glass of scotch in his hand. "Why are my clothes packed?"

"You're going home Mel. You're leaving first thing in the morning." He replied getting up with the divorce papers in his hand. "But not before you sign this." He said pushing them towards her.

"What….?"

"The divorce papers Mel. I had Mick draw up some new ones."

She scanned over them.

"I don't know what the hell has gotten into you, but I am not signing these!"

"Yes you are Mel."

"Are you kidding me?! This leaves me with practically nothing."

"And it's more than what you deserve after what you've done!" He said, his voice echoing through the room. He set the glass down on the nightstand and stalked towards. She stumbled backwards and lost one of her shoes in her haste. The look in his eyes was different than any she'd seen before. He looked as if he wanted to….a shiver ran down her spine.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know all about your plan to kill Liv, Mellie. I know you were scheming with Artie Benedict. But your plan didn't work did it? How desperate were you? What kind of a woman are you?"

He advanced towards her and she kept moving backwards till she was literally pinned towards the wall.

"Fitz…."

"How could you do it Mel?!" He shouted and gripped her shoulders.

"You're hurting me!" she grimaced in pain, but Fitz didn't care. He tightened his grip on her shoulders pressing her into the wall and shaking her.

"An innocent baby is dead because of you!"

"Let me go!"

"Suppose she had died Mel?"

"Fitz…." She tried unsuccessfully to dislodge his fingers from their grip.

"Suppose Liv had died?!"

"Then everything would have gone back to normal and we'd finally be rid of her!" She screamed defiantly.

It was a mistake she realized, but it got him to relax his grip if only for a moment. She touched her left shoulder wincing, knowing there'd be bruises later. She looked up at him in anger, to see his rage was much greater than her own.

Fitz reached out and grabbed her by the arm and dragged her across the room to the sofa and pushed her down on it. He thrust the divorce papers towards her.

"Sign them."

"I won't do it!"

"Sign them, Mel." He warned.

She shook her head. "No. I won't sign them! I only get the house in Calabasas and this measly settlement? I won't do it!"

She tried to push past him, but he reached out to try to grab her arm. Mellie swung round evading his grasp and slapped him across the face.

"Damn it!" he yelled.

"I'm not going to stand aside while you get your 'happily ever after' with Olivia Pope. Not after everything I've sacrificed for you. You'll get your happy ending over my dead body Fitz!"

"That can be arranged!"

He walked towards her and she swung at him again, missing him. Fitz grabbed both her hands and they fell backward onto the bed with him on top of her.

"Get off of me!" She yelled.

Fitz felt himself becoming increasingly angry. The combination of her words, the booze and the audio on the CD playing over and over again coursed through him. He didn't know when it happened, but his hands slipped around her throat and he was choking the life out of her. Mel pulled at his hands, clawed frantically, trying to dislodge them. She struggled underneath him but he wouldn't budge.

"Fitz ….please….." She begged, gasping for air. "Please….."

Liv's face flashed before his eyes. The night of the debate, when she looked up at him so sweetly…it seemed to thrust his senses back into him.

He slowly let Mel up and climbed off of her.

He went over to sit on the couch again, trying to slow down his breathing. He held his head in his hands.

"You son of a bitch." Muttered Mel trying to catch her breath. She touched her throat, the flesh around it tender now. She coughed a few times, and ran into the bathroom to drink some water from the tap.

She ambled out the bathroom a short minute later and sat on the bed feeling as though she was having a nightmare. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her mascara was running.

They stared at each other in silence and Mellie realized, finally, that it was over.

Fitz was the first to speak.

"Sign the papers Mel. And then leave. I never want to see you again."

* * *

Fitz walked slowly through the corridor to Liv's apartment. He was appalled at what he'd done.

He and Mel's marriage had gone from bad to devastatingly worse. There was no coming back. He didn't want there to be a coming back. He simply wanted Olivia.

He knocked on the door and she answered it after a short minute.

She was surprised to see him there.

"Fitz. I wasn't expecting you."

"Can I come in?"

"Of course." She pulled him inside and helped him out of his coat.

This is where he wanted to be, where he needed to be. This is where he found forgiveness, and cleansing for his soul. This is where he found hope and peace and love.

She reached up to touch his face seeing he was troubled. "Are you okay?"

He didn't answer her, but she knew from the look on his face that he wasn't.

"Come here." She said and led him to the bedroom. She stood before him and slowly undid his tie. She unbuttoned his shirt, loosened the buttons at his wrists and slid the shirt off his broad shoulders. She undid his belt buckle then took his pants off him letting them slide to the floor. She stared up at him as he stepped out of them. Fitz took his shoes off, then his socks.

They looked at each other in silence, she in her pajamas and he in his boxers and undershirt. She took his hand and led him to the bed.

They got in under the covers and she pressed herself into him. Fitz put his arms around her back loving the feel of her so close underneath him. She rubbed his face and kissed him soundly on the mouth.

"It's going to be okay. You're here, now. Whatever it is, it'll be okay."


	30. Daylight

_**A/N My author's note from the last chapter made a few people think that the story was finished. Sorry about that mix up, but no it wasn't the last. I have maybe 2 more chapters after this one. This chapter is short and is somewhat a transition chapter to the story's ending which will be coming soon. Hope you enjoy.**_

* * *

**2AM**

Liv slowly stirred from sleep. With eyes fluttering she reached out to her left and instead of colliding with Fitz's chest she felt empty space. She sat up slowly and saw him sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly.

He didn't answer, but let out a soft sigh.

Liv got out from underneath the covers and went to sit in the back of him, wrapping her legs around his and putting her arms around his waist. She rested her head against his back and waited till he was ready to talk. She was worried about him.

Fitz covered Liv's arms with his and smiled.

"How's your arm doing?"

"It's good. No more pain. You didn't see yesterday because of the coat I had on, but Laurie put some interesting things on it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. There's one that says 'Fitz and Livi forever'. Then there's another that says 'Commander in Chief'…..she has a fixation with you, I swear." She planted a soft kiss against his back which made him moan in his throat.

"Livi your mother is in the next bedroom. Please don't start something we can't finish tonight." He said his voice deep with controlled desire.

"Ok, I'll keep my lips to myself tonight, Mr. President I promise. I'll just sit here and wait for you."

"Wait… for what?"

"For you to tell me what happened."

He waited a while before he spoke.

"I put my hands on Mellie earlier."

Fitz felt Liv stiffen in the back of him and held his breath waiting for her to answer. He expected her to recoil from him and was relieved when she didn't.

"Fitz…"

"Everything got so out of control. I was angry about your accident and her part in it. We got into an argument, one thing led to another and…."

"And you hit her?"

"I didn't hit her…..but…I….it all happened so fast, Liv."

He got up from the bed and turned to face her.

"It was like it wasn't even me. I was just so angry I couldn't see straight. I couldn't think about anything else except that I almost lost you. I hate that I allowed it to escalate as much as it did. If I hadn't stopped, I could have, I could have…..."

"But you didn't. I'm so glad you didn't." Liv got up to stand in front of him. "You're not a monster Fitz. That's not who you are. As angry as I am at Mellie, as sick as I am over what she did, I wouldn't want you to hurt her because of me."

"I know."

"Everything is such a mess right now. We just lost so much in such a short time. We can't afford to lose ourselves in the process. We can't forget who we are. Our baby's gone and….. you're all I have left. Be careful….please? Be careful, Fitz."

* * *

**10:25AM**

Fitz sat in his office reading briefs when his door opened slowly and Mellie walked in. She slowly walked over to his desk and stood in front of him not saying a word.

Fitz put the brief down on his desk and they both regarded each other in silence.

"I know you probably expected me to be gone by now…but I had to talk to you first."

"I'm sorry Mel. I'm sorry for what happened last night. It should never have happened."

The air was thick with years of unspoken words, things they never said to each other but probably should have. Thick with emotions, anger, hurt, betrayal and resentment. They had grown and festered over the years, had driven a wedge between the two of them. They no longer had a marriage. The partnership they'd begun over twenty years ago was just a decayed shell that they'd been trying to hold together unsuccessfully for far too long.

"You're not a monster Fitz. You're actually one of the kindest, gentlest men I've ever known. There've been times when you've been cold to me over the last few years, but you were never a monster. I didn't know you could be that angry. I….I didn't know you could do that to me." She let out a short laugh. "But then again I never knew I had it in me to plot the death of another person. I'm sorry Fitz. I truly am. _**That**_ should never have happened."

Fitz got up from his desk and walked toward her. There was a sense of resignation in her eyes that wasn't there before.

"I guess we both changed." He admitted softly.

"Hopefully, not entirely for the worst." She handed him a manila folder. "The divorce papers. I signed them."

He opened the folder staring at her signature feeling relief sweep over him slowly, then his eyes narrowed.

"Mel…these are…."

"The original documents you first gave me, yes."

"What….."

"Well you didn't really expect me to sign the ones you gave me last night did you? Besides I figured when you had time to really think about it, you'd realize the initial settlement you offered was the better option for us both." She smiled up at him, and though he shook his head at her, he chuckled.

"Now…" She said as she walked over to the couch and sat down. "There's something more important we need to discuss."

* * *

"How long will you be gone?" Asked Liv.

"Just over a week. I'll be in Georgia for three days and then coming back where I have the speech at NYU and the Youth in Arts Award Committee meetings."

"I'm going to miss you."

"Not as much as I'm going to miss you. We have a lot to talk about when I get back."

"About what?"

"About things that I don't think we should talk about over the phone honey."

"Are you okay? I was worried about you."

"Remember when we were at the ranch on the campaign trail waiting to do that 20/20 interview and we walked in the back by the stables?"

"Yeah. You tried your best to get me on that mare…."

"…and you refused. I'm getting you on that saddle Liv. In the very near future, we're going to go riding together."

She laughed.

"You were so beautiful that day. The sun shining on your face, your hair was blowing…"

"Are you kidding me? I was a mess."

"Never….all I remember is the way you looked at me. There was something in your eyes. You kept insisting on prepping me for the interview. And all I wanted was to just kiss you and hold you tight."

She closed her eyes and pictured him sitting in his office, feet propped up on his desk, leaning back in his chair. She smiled.

"We're going to be fine, Liv. We're going to be just fine.


	31. The Light

**_A/N With a little bit of sadness I have to announce that Sweet Baby is coming to a close. After this one, there's only going to be one more chapter. Sorry this one has taken so long, but I didn't want to just put any old thing out there, I wanted it to be good. So thanks for being so patient with me. Thanks for all the reviews, seriously I live for them. Special shout outs to Neo, Real Camille, MsJWatt InspiredtoRead, BabycakesBriauna, and all my twitter peeps. Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews. And just because I may not have mentioned you doesn't mean I appreciate you any less. Enjoy the latest installment of Sweet Baby._**

* * *

Three and a half weeks, thought Olivia. It had been three and a half weeks since she'd miscarried and had been sent home to recuperate. It seemed like the time flew by and as agonizing as it had been at first she was finally seeing daylight ahead of her.

She'd come to realize a few things while she was home. For one; family was everything. The way her mother and her sister rallied around her since she'd had her accident was amazing and touched her heart so much. She knew, absolutely knew she would not have gotten through the first few crucial days without the two of them by her side. She was so grateful that her mother had stayed. Her presence was simply refreshing, like a cooling balm to her soul. Her actions, her words, everything about her, helped Liv to slowly heal from the painful wound left from losing the baby.

Secondly; good friends were priceless. When she first woke up in the hospital, it was nothing short of a relief to wake up to see Stephen sitting at her bedside. She was glad he was there to hold and comfort her when the doctor had given her the bad news about the baby. Without his support, she truly would have lost it. But he held her, and comforted her as best as he could.

She thought about Fitz then. He wasn't able to be there as constantly as her mother and sister or Stephen, but she felt him there with her. Whenever she opened her eyes, or closed them. She felt him in her heart and in her spirit. And when he came over he would engulf her in his arms and all was right with the world once more. She knew he felt the loss of the baby just as much as she did, but he was her strength whenever she needed him to be. And he let her know that she was never alone.

"What are you so quiet about over there?"

"Just thinking how much I'm glad you're her." She said smiling at her mom.

"Oh that's nothing. I was glad to spend time with my baby. I'm glad you're doing better."

"Laurie called while you were still sleeping."

"What'd she say?"

"Just checking up on me. She said Marvin's been around asking when you're coming back. Sounds like he's anxious to see you. You two getting pretty tight, huh?"

Her mother shrugged.

"Come on mom you can tell me. "

"I have become very fond of him the last few months."

"Don't you miss him a little bit?"

Her mother laughed but looked away.

"You know you miss him!" Liv accused.

"I'm going to make something for breakfast, child."

Ella walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge and Liv followed her.

"You know mommy, maybe it's time we both went back to Brooklyn."

"What?"

"I know you miss Marvin and I know you're tired of fussing over me all day. And…. I know you miss that house of yours, don't deny it. I think it's about time for both of us to go back home."

* * *

Fitz threw the fluffy drying off towel over the curtain rod in the bathroom and padded back into his room. He slid into his boxers and pulled on a NAVY T-Shirt preparing to get some sleep before his flight early in the morning. He was leaving Georgia and heading back to the U.S. to New York for another three days before heading back to D.C.

He settled into the plush bed and pillow in his suite at the hotel. It was 11pm, he saw glancing at his watch, and closed his eyes. it was Friday night, almost a week since he'd seen Liv and three days since he'd been able to talk to her on the phone. He missed her terribly. He wished she were here right now, lying next to him nestled by his side. His body yearned to be next to her. He missed the feeling of being inside her, their limbs twined together till you didn't know where she began or he ended.

He longed to touch her.

It wouldn't be long now. The divorce papers were signed. Things were officially over between him and Mellie. And finally liv would no longer have that nagging voice in the back of her mind telling her that she was nothing more than a mistress to him. The other woman. Someone who was nothing more to him than a distraction from a horrible patched up marriage that should never have happened, but did simply because of his cowardice and ambition.

Soon she could finally feel sure and secure knowing they could now fully belong to each other, without any obstacles and nothing standing in their way.

"Livi….." He murmured aloud and started to drift off to sleep.

* * *

**2 DAYS LATER**

"I like the cream one better, Laurie." Said Liv said to her sister. They were picking out dresses for the annual Associate's dinner her husband Daniel's boss was hosting at their law firm.

"You _would_ love the cream one. That's your colour not mine, honestly Livi, you need some colour in your wardrobe."

"I do have colours…."

"Name one shade you have that isn't an earth tone, I'll wait. Nothing right? Okay."

"Wha….? In my line of work I can't afford to be too flashy. I have to be conservative or I won't be taken seriously."

"Of course, I understand." Said Laurie waving Liv's comment away and walking over to a beautiful burnt red cocktail dress. "Ooooooooooh Liv. I think we found a winner. I'm gonna go try it on."

An hour later they headed out to the parking lot with the dress, shoes and matching accessories. Laurie was quite pleased.

"Ok so that's me. Is there anywhere you wanted to stop before we head home, Liv?"

"As a matter of fact, yeah. There's a store over on 25th next to Starbucks."

"Starbucks on 25th? Liv that's…a lingerie boutique."

"La Perla, yes."

"Ummm…"

"Just drive."

"Oooooh sookie sookie now who are you buying lingerie for sister dear?" Laurie let out a devilish grin. "Do I even need to ask?"

**TWENTY MINUTES LATER**

"If you don't put that cream set down, I will murder you." Said Laurie vehemently and grabbed the set away from her putting it back on the rack.

She pushed a fiery red panty and bra set towards Liv and there was immediate protest.

"Livi! I'm telling you, this is it."

"I can't." She said shaking her head. "It's not me."

"It's _**every**_ woman. Including the one you've kept hidden underneath all that beige for years. She's dying to get out, trust me."

Liv eyed her wearily but Laurie only smiled and dragged her over to a mirror where their eyes locked. "Look at you. You have beautiful skin. It's simply radiant. Look at the fabric against it. This is your colour. Maybe not for work, but for that man of yours….."

"He's in town today. Well it's his last day really."

"What? Does he know you're here?"

"Not yet, but he will tonight. Are you on this mission?" She whispered conspiratorially.

"Hell yeah and you need to be armed and dangerous. You are getting this red set, Liv. Come on."

* * *

"I love you sweetheart and I'll see you soon. Tell Gerry I love him."

"I'm not telling him dad."

"Karen…"

"He's being a jerk lately, I'm not doing it. He doesn't deserve it." She grinned at his tone.

He grinned back. "What am I going to do with you two?"

He turned his head, hearing a brief knock on the door of his hotel room.

She giggled at his question. "I'll put together a list of things and get back to you."

"I'm sure you will. Goodnight honey."

"Night, dad."

Fitz put the phone down and slowly opened the door. It was Tom.

"You have a visitor, Sir." Fitz raised his brows in question when Tom stepped to the side allowing Liv to stand in front of him.

"Thank you, Tom." He took her hand, pulling her inside and closed the door behind her. "What are you doing here? I've been calling you for three days."

Fitz looked at her noticing there was something a little different. Instead of her usual curls, her hair hung straight down her back with a simple part to the side. Her eyes were dark. Yes she had on makeup but there was a different look to them. He grew hard in his boxers at the sight of her lips which were a bright, no fiery red. The look in her eyes was pure fire.

She didn't answer but put her arms around his neck and lifted her mouth towards his. Her kiss was insistent and her hands found their way beneath his boxers and over his ass. He cupped her face in his hands, his breath coming quicker and he met her kisses with his own.

A deep moan escaped his throat and he bent to run his tongue down and over her neck. He felt his control slipping as Liv's small hands found their way around his cock.

"Liv…." He moaned as she stroked him to full hardness. "Baby…"

He reached down and lifted her against the length of him. She felt his cock against her belly and she wrapped her legs around him. He carried her over to the bed and set her down unbuttoning her coat. He was shocked, but very pleased to realize all she had on underneath it was some red lingerie.

He ran his hand along the length of her stomach before he pressed himself into her and her face showed she loved the feel of him, the feel of his hardness against her.

"Are you sure you're ready, Liv? We don't need to rush into this too soon after….." He whispered against her mouth.

"I'm ready." She nodded and pulled his lips toward hers.

"You might just beg me for mercy by the end of the night, Ms. Pope."

"Prove it."

And he proceeded to do just that. Olivia felt as if she was drowning in his touch. They were rough, insistent, passionate and gentle all at the same time. He devoured every inch of her body with his mouth. His mouth laved against her, covering her in wet kisses.

He licked her through the lace of her bra. Torturing her nipples till they were hardened peaks underneath his tongue. He raised her hips so that he could grind himself into her; the lace against her sex was wet.

"Fitz….." she moaned running her hands through his hair. Her breath was ragged, her voice low.

"I know baby…." He whispered back looking down at her with desire in his eyes.

He got up discarding his shirt quickly and hurriedly grabbed her panties pulling them down. He grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her towards him at the edge of the bed. He knelt before her and buried his head between her legs.

Liv bucked against him wildly, not recognizing the sound of her own voice as she whispered incoherent words, sounds, things she couldn't understand.

Fitz loved the feel of her legs around his neck and he grabbed hold of her hands to lock his fingers with hers. Her thighs were wet against his tongue and they were trembling. She moaned his name, a sound so sweet to his ears.

Liv's eyes were hazy; she was giddy, drunk, on a high she couldn't explain. He kissed her then and got up and she grabbed at his boxers dragging them over his butt. As the fabric moved past his cock to free it, it stared her in the face standing at full attention.

Liv reached out and bent down to run her tongue along the full length of it. He inhaled sharply as she swirled her slick tongue around the head then took it fully in her mouth. Fitz caressed her neck trying hard to stand straight while it felt like electricity was flowing through him. He looked down to see her head bobbing up and down, her hair hanging like a sheet over his member. He couldn't wait any longer. He gently pushed at her shoulders and positioned her on top of him in the bed as he lay on his back.

She lowered herself slowly over his length and they both gasped at that first entry and Fitz thrust upwards into her. She felt so soft and warm around him.

Liv was amazed at how thick he felt. It was almost as if it was their first time. She kept a good pace on top of him; he seemed to be touching every wall, every part inside her. She rubbed her hands over his chest, his nipples and they looked into each other's eyes. She bent down to kiss him and Fitz put his arms around her back pulling her close.

"You feel so good." He moaned thinking it had been so long. "You feel so good." He bit her neck making her cry out. She knew there would be marks later. She didn't care.

Her paced quickened a bit and she ground into him hungrily, pushing him deeper inside. She felt as if he filled her so much she might burst. He was so snug.

"Fuck." Fitz said and rolled her over so she could be underneath him. She let out a mewling groan and wrapped her arms around his back while he thrust into her over and over; filling her so much until finally she came. Fitz bit down into her neck, pulling at her hips, pulling her closer till he thrust into her for the last time. He came with a groan, putting his arms underneath her in a tight hold, Liv felt she might break, but she loved being this close to him.

He stay there inside her for a while. Liv felt as if she might pass out and held onto him not wanting him to let her go.

"You didn't answer my question." Fitz finally said.

"What question?" She asked breathlessly, looking up at him.

"Where have you been? I've been calling you for three days."

She laughed. "I've been in Brooklyn. I came home with my mother and I decided to surprise you."

"That you did." he said kissing her neck. "You know I was planning on coming to see you as soon as I got back."

"Were you?"

"Of course. I missed you." He said before kissing her lips.

"I missed you too. So much, Fitz." She reached up to touch his face.

He shifted to her side and cradled her next to him. "You are so beautiful, do you know that?"

"Hmmm….."

"I mean it. You're the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on. Do you want to take a mini vacation?"

"What?"

"We can head out to the ranch in Santa Barbara for the rest of the weekend. Just two days. I can come up with something about seeing my lawyer or whatever."

"Fitz, I'd love to, but come on now that's wishful thinking. What would Mellie say about it?" she said running her hand over his arm.

"Nothing. She wouldn't say a thing and if we keep a low profile the press won't even know you're there."

"If I know your wife, she…."

"_**Ex**_ wife. She signed the papers Liv. I'm a free man." Liv sat up in bed and looked at him unable to believe it.

"She did?"

"She did." He said smiling at her.

"When, baby?"

"The morning I left your house. Right after she and I had the fight."

"So that means…."

"…that we can finally build a life together. No more hiding, no more sneaking around. No more of you feeling guilty because I'm a married man."

Liv looked at him and a lone tear slid down her face. He quickly wiped it away.

"I don't know where that came from." She said awkwardly and Fitz smiled. She wasn't a fan of showing her emotions too much, he knew. But he also knew how much this meant to her.

"It's just an overwhelming sense of relief. I felt it too when she signed. There are a few things though that we came to a compromise on."

Liv looked worried, but he immediately reassured her that everything was going to be fine.

"I'm going to finish out my term which is a little under a year. And while I do that, Mel and the kids will remain in D.C. to allow them to finish out the school year and give them a sense of normalcy and to make it appear, at least to the public that all is well in the White House."

"What about sleeping arrangements?"

"You can't possibly be worried about…..that. Mel and I haven't been together since…I don't even remember. We won't share a room. There's a small nursery off the master bedroom that I can sleep in and the staff wouldn't catch on to it."

"What about the kids?" she asked quietly.

"They were …..very hurt at first. They still are…."

"Fitz….." Liv remembered the last time she saw Karen, when she'd ditched her Secret Service detail to come to see Liv at her office. She was worried about him and thought Liv was the only one who could possibly get him out of his funk. The look on her face when she put two and two together and sensed something was going on between her and Fitz was priceless. Karen loved her father. So did Gerry, although he was as close to Mellie as Karen was to Fitz. She didn't want to think of their reaction when they realized that Fitz was leaving Mellie for her.

"Look, Liv, we both knew this wasn't going to be easy. But we knew we wanted to be together. The papers are signed. It's done. There's no turning back now. I don't want to. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Don't you want the same thing?"

"Of course I do."

"Ok then…come here. I want you next to me again." She settled back into his arms and felt secure again.

"Fitz…"

"What is it?"

"You do know Mellie's going to try to run for office right? She's not just going to go back to being a lawyer or be a stay at home mom."

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"She's going to need your endorsement, for whatever office she goes for if she wants to win."

"I know that."

"Well….?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now about that mini vacation in Santa Barbara….."

"I think….a mini vacation would be nice."

"Great. And I told you I was getting you back on that horse."

"Not a chance, Mr. President. I am _**not**_ getting on top of any horse."

"Okay well why don't you get on top of something else….hmmm?"

"Fitz!"

"See, you're begging for mercy already." He grabbed her then kissing her, and the giggle in her throat dissolved into a moan.

* * *

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

**7:45AM**

"I've asked Georgia to marry me."

Liv turned to look at Stephen who had the widest grin on his face. He handed her a cup of tea and her breakfast and they leaned back into the sofa in her office.

"Oh my goodness. Congratulations Stephen. I'm so happy for you."

"It's amazing really. After everything at the law firm and then the clinic in Florida, not to mention my philandering ways….."

She grinned at that.

"Who would've thought I'd want to get married and settle down?"

"Well finding the love of your life has a way of changing your plans. Things you thought you wanted, needed even, don't seem to matter anymore."

Stephen stopped midway taking a bite out of his croissant and looked at her.

"What?" She asked.

"I've never heard you sound this sentimental. You've changed, Liv. In the last few weeks, you've been different."

She nodded her head. "I feel different Stephen. I don't know if it's the baby, the accident, Amanda Tanner. Whatever it was, things are different."

"How so?"

"In the next few months, I'm going to be taking more of a back seat at the office, and I'm going to be leaning more on you to take charge, really take over. "

"You what?"

"I'm going to act as more of a consultant here at the firm. It'll still be my firm, but you're going to eventually take over and run it for me. I'll take the lead in extreme cases, but for the most part you'll be in charge, Stephen, and I wanna know if you'll accept more responsibilities around here."

"You're serious."

"I am."

"How…..what….?"

She smiled and touched his hand. "It's like I said Stephen, finding the love of your life has a way of changing things."

* * *

**11:48PM**

"What's taking you so long? The movie is about to start in a minute. Come on!" Cried Fitz. Liv poked her head out of the kitchen and scowled at him, an expression that didn't last long since he looked sexy as hell dressed in nothing else but his boxers and sporting the sexiest bed head she'd ever seen on a man. She grinned at him.

"Maybe if I had a little help I could move quicker?" She hurried over with a bowl of popcorn in her hand and set it down on the table in front of him.

"Fitz come and open up the wine." She motioned towards him, the opening credits starting to play.

"Now we're gonna miss the beginning." He said smiling at her and pulling the cork out of the bottle of red wine. He grabbed two glasses and went back into the living room.

"It's not as if you haven't seen this movie a billion times before." She laughed. Besides it's a DVD honey."

"What's the name of this one again?"

"**Kiss the Girls**." He said pouring her a glass. She took it and settled into his side loving the feel of his bare chest. The voice over at the beginning of the movie started to play.

"That guy has an amazing voice. He could whisper in my ear all night." She teased looking up at him.

"Ssshhhhh." He said playfully and ruffled her hair.

"I love you."

"So you're going to insist on talking during the movie?" he said as Morgan Freeman appeared on the screen.

"I love you, Fitz. And I'm glad that you're here."

"Good because I'm not going anywhere." He bent his head to kiss her sweetly. "Now no more talking baby, we're watching the movie."

Liv sat back and watched his favourite movie with him, feeling content for what seemed like the first time in her life. He wasn't going anywhere. And neither was she.

* * *

_**A/N for those who don't know "Kiss the Girls" is a movie Tony Goldwyn did a couple of years after Ghost with Patrick Swayze. The voice at the beginning of the movie that Liv says could 'whisper in her ear all night' is that of Tony Goldwyn. :-)**_


	32. Epilogue

_**A/N So this is the last chapter of Sweet Baby. The Epilogue really. I got a suggestion from MsChessPlayer couple chapters ago that I use my 'Birthday Gift Fic' and make it a part of the ending for this story and I decided to do just that. However I changed a whole lot of it and included two very important new characters and I've added Liv's mom Ella and Fitz's daughter Karen to the mix. Thanks so much for going along for the ride with this story. I realize i lost a few readers after Liv lost the baby. Some people were upset about that, I understand. But thanks to everyone who stayed on board. Thanks for the reviews and comments, PM's and shoutouts on Tumblr and Twitter. Alright I'm getting sappy, so I'll just say hope you enjoy the ending. Olitz forever!**_

* * *

_**EPILOGUE**_

The bright light of the morning sun streaming through the bedroom window at the ranch in Santa Barbara caused Fitz to stir from sleep. Feeling incredibly groggy he rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly in bed. Muffled sounds of Christmas carols were playing and he could hear the sound of faint laughter coming from the living room. The house smelled of cinnamon, spices, pumpkin and every Christmas aroma he could think of. He also smelled the inviting scent of bacon. Hmmm, he loved bacon in the morning.

He pulled back the covers and walked into the bathroom washing his face and brushing his teeth. He was about to head for the kitchen when he heard the sound of little feet on the wood floor coming down the hallway. He quickly dashed back into bed and pulled the blanket over him and tried to conceal the smile on his face. He heard the door open and close and waited.

"Uh oh. He's asleep." Thalia was the first to speak. "What do we do?"

Fitz couldn't help but smile at the sound of her sweet voice as she whispered softly to her brother. Hers was the voice of an angel and she looked just like one. She had a head full of unruly curls, full hazel eyes and an epic pout just like her mother. While she and her twin brother Nicholas were looked very much identical, they differed in temperaments. Thalia had inherited his more sensitive, protective side, while her brother was headstrong, independent like Liv.

"Mommy said to go and get him. We have to wake him up." He responded matter of factly.

"But what if he's dreaming?" She pleaded in a sing song voice and came closer to the bed resting a tiny hand on his back.

"She says he has all our presents and we can't open them until he wakes up, remember?"

"But…."

Her brother ignoring her pleas climbed into the bed and moved the covers from over Fitz's head.

"Daddy… daddy wake up." He put a small hand on Fitz's face leaning in close and when that didn't work he started to shake his shoulders.

"Nicholas…." Thalia said with emphasis on the last 'S' in his name. "Leave him alone." She said and crawled in next to him grabbing his arm.

By now, Fitz was seriously struggling in his attempt to feign sleep. He wanted to laugh so badly, he didn't think he could keep this up for much longer. He let out a small laugh, but kept his eyes closed.

Nicholas let out a small gasp at the sound and looked at Fitz whose face was blank again. "He's not sleeping." Though he was convinced of it now, his voice was still a low whisper.

"Let me see." She said and crawled over to Fitz cupping his face in her hands. "Daddy? Are you awake?

Fitz slowly opened his eyes and saw the welcome sight of the two of them staring back at him. He bolted up and grabbed both of them while they squealed in delight.

"Daddy!" Yelled Thalia. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas daddy." Said Nicholas.

"Oh, thank you, thank you…Merry Christmas to you too…." He said kissing them both repeatedly and hugging them tight. They both dissolved into a fit of laughter. Fitz's heart turned over and he felt content.

It had been several years since he had moved back to his ranch in Santa Barbara and taken Liv with him. He was no longer the President and she had handed over the crisis management firm to Stephen Finch.

After his term as President was over he and Mel had parted ways and he'd chosen to live the life he truly wanted to with Liv. The transition to regular life away from politics wasn't easy but this was the happiest he had ever been. Their life together became complete after Liv had given birth to the twins four years ago. The loss of their first child had been devastating and now they had been blessed with two babies. He was so grateful and happy with the decision he'd made to be with her.

Cyrus had called him a fool, reckless, even stupid when he'd decided not to reconsider his divorce from Mel. Even though it had meant that his political career as he knew it was done, he knew that he couldn't endure another minute of not being with the woman he loved.

"Daddy it's time to get out of bed." Nicholas said grabbing his arm. "Come on let's go! Mommy's waiting for us…" He kept tugging on his arm but Fitz didn't budge. Instead he pulled them both towards him and began to tickle them mercilessly. Nicholas tried to escape but ended up dissolving into melodious giggles right along with his sister and that warmed Fitz's heart and made him laugh too.

"What's going on in there?" Liv's voice echoed from the hallway then the door opened.

He looked over to the door to their bedroom and saw Liv standing there, still in her pajamas. She was smiling at the three of them.

"Thalia….Nicholas….weren't you two supposed to get daddy up and bring him to the kitchen?" Olivia said feigning disappointment.

"They tried their best honey. Well Nick, did. Thalia's heart wasn't in it." Fitz smiled at her and she came to stand next to the bed looking down at them.

"Merry Christmas, honey." she said. "Mommy's got breakfast in the kitchen and Karen is coming over soon. She called a few minutes ago."

"And….we got you a gift too daddy. It's in our room."

He grabbed Liv's hand and pulled her down beside him. She leaned down to kiss him.

"This is the only gift I want. Right here, the three of you with me. That's all I want."

Liv snuggled up beside him and so did the twins.

"Kids why don't you go out front with Grandma Ella. Mommy and daddy will be out in a minute." Said Fitz.

"What about our gifts?" asked Nicholas.

"Breakfast first, gifts next. Go get something to eat. We'll be out in a minute, promise."

The twins reluctantly went out front and Liv looked at him quizzically.

"Lock the door honey." Fitz said in a husky voice and she did as he asked. "Come here." He said opening his arms and pulling her on top of him when she came back to the bed and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Merry Christmas Mrs. Grant." He whispered before kissing her again.

"That has a nice ring to it."

"It does, doesn't it?" his hands slid lower till they rested on her butt.

"Fitz…."

"Mmmm hmmm?" He answered nuzzling her neck.

"Why does it feel like you're pitching a tent underneath me?"

"It's all your fault. I blame you for being so damn sexy. You're still as breathtaking as the day I met you all those years ago."

"Breakfast is getting cold…." She said, but he was already lifting her up and sliding her chemise over her head, his lips kissing the bare skin of her stomach.

"Not what I'm hungry for right now…."

"….and my mother is in the kitchen." She gasped when his tongue found her nipple.

"Your mother knows how we got those twins, Liv." He murmured against her.

"Fitz…the kids..." he turned her over quickly and pulled her pajama bottoms off. Liv lay back enjoying the soft kisses he planted over her tummy. He ran his warm hands over her thighs and kissed the soft flesh between them. She knew they should get up and let the kids open their gifts but his hands, his mouth, they were so persuasive. She ran her fingers through his hair.

He licked against her, teasing her, making her wet. "Fitz…."

"Do you want me to stop?" he said, leaning over her a sly smile on his face. She couldn't answer anyway because in the next moment his lips quieted any protest she might have made and he was taking her, claiming her till she was lost in him once again.

A half hour later they emerged to find the kids still in the kitchen at the breakfast table with Liv's mom who Fitz immediately embraced, planting a kiss on her cheek. She was a dwarf in his arms, just like Liv.

"Ella…Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Fitz. Kept your breakfast warm for you. I figured you and Liv might be a while." She smiled slyly and got his plate out of the microwave. He laughed.

"Thank you Ella, you really didn't have to." He said shoveling some bacon into his mouth.

"Don't be silly."

"She loves to fuss Fitz, trust me." Said Liv, ruffling his hair and sitting beside him. Thalia got up from her chair and climbed on Fitz's lap. He bent down and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm getting daddy's gift." Said Nicholas jumping up and running towards the bedroom.

Fitz barely had time to finish his breakfast before he was dragged off to the living room by the kids to open presents.

The doorbell rang and Liv went to answer it. Karen grinned at her as she opened it and the embraced her when she stepped inside. She was glad that instead of Karen resenting her presence in her father's life, she actually had come to accept liv. And the good relationship they'd shared when she worked at the White House had developed into something deeper. Gerry, despite the crush he'd always had on Liv took longer to come around. He was terribly close to Mellie, and initially felt any acceptance of his father with Liv would've been a betrayal. Once he saw that Liv truly made his dad happy, he softened towards her. something that both Liv and Fitz were both very happy about.

"Merry Christmas Liv." She said warmly.

"Merry Christmas Karen. It's so good to see you!" She said and the twins came racing in to hug Karen when they heard her voice.

"Oh my goodness I missed the two of you. You're getting big. Where's daddy?"

"In the living room. We're opening presents." Said Thalia. The both led her in Fitz's direction and Liv couldn't help but smile. Fitz scooped her up in his arms when he saw her. She was in her second year of college but he still wasn't used to not seeing her every day.

"Dad put me down!" Karen protested meekly.

"Baby I missed you so much. Merry Christmas." He said. "You got taller."

"Impossible dad. I've stopped growing." She laughed. "Let me go put my bags up."

"I've got it." Said Liv.

"Have you eaten yet, honey? I could fix you something." Came Ella's voice from the hallway.

"Um, no thanks, Ella. I'm fine." She said smiling. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, baby."

Liv put Karen's bags in her old room then walked back out front. She stood by the arch in the hallway watching them as they opened gifts under the tree, barely believing that it was all real. After everything that happened, and all they'd been through, they'd done it. Just as Fitz had promised. They were a family. And they were together. All of them. Gerry was spending the holiday with Mel this year, but he'd be coming to see them before he went back to school next week.

"I'm happy for you, baby." Liv heard her mother's voice beside her and reached out to put her arm around her waist.

"Thank you mommy."

"You never thought it would happen did you do? But it did. You have a man who loves you with all his heart and four beautiful children. It's more than most people can imagine."

She looked over at Fitz who locked eyes with her at the same she gazed at him. Lightning struck her all over again. Just like the first day they'd met when he ran after her in the hallway of his campaign headquarters and he'd told her he'd be lucky to have her.

"It's everything I ever dreamed."


End file.
